Roche CEO Thomas Schinecker outlined the consequences if Switzerland does not increase drug prices.
Keystone-SDA
Roche CEO Thomas Schinecker has put pressure on the company to increase the prices of new medicines in Switzerland. The head of the pharmaceutical company outlined the consequences if Switzerland does not increase these prices.
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“Then, unfortunately, there will probably be further delays in the introduction of new medicines,” Schinecker said in an interview with the SonntagsZeitung newspaper on Sunday.
Switzerland has the most to gain and the most to lose, he said. The pharmaceutical industry’s tax revenues alone are higher than what is spent on innovative medicines in Switzerland, he said.
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If Switzerland does not follow the US reference system and does not increase the prices for new medicines accordingly, Roche will be able to invest less in cutting-edge research, according to Schinecker. This is because the group would generate less turnover. As a result, Roche would pay “less tax and create fewer jobs”.
Adapted from German by AI/ts
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