Pharmaceutical companies do not plan job cuts in Switzerland
Keystone-SDA
The additional investments in the US will not lead to a reduction in jobs in Switzerland. This is according to pharmaceutical giant Roche, which expects the number of employees to remain stable in the current year. The position of Novartis is similar.
“With our recent $50 billion (CHF 40.4 billion at today’s exchange rate) investment in the US, we reaffirm our commitment to the healthcare system and patients in this region,” the Basel-based company told the Keystone-SDA news agency.
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Reacting to an article in today’s NZZ am Sonntag about the capacity expansion in the US, Roche added that it does not foresee any impact of the investments on employees in Switzerland and other countries for now. “We have invested billions of francs in our operations in Switzerland and Europe and will continue to do so.”
The Zurich Sunday paper also mentions the other major Swiss pharmaceutical group, Novartis, claiming that it intends to produce 100% of its most important drugs entirely in the US in the future. According to the newspaper, even for Novartis, investment in the US will have no impact on production facilities outside America.
Top management meeting planned
The future of the Swiss pharmaceutical industry is now also the focus of political attention. According to the SonntagsBlick, health minister Elisabeth Baume-Schneider and economics minister Guy Parmelin are planning a meeting with the industry’s top management and are looking for a date.
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“The departments concerned have regular exchanges with all economic sectors, including the pharmaceutical sector. Discussions are also currently planned,” the Home Affairs ministry, headed by Baume-Schneider, told Keystone-SDA today.
Adapted from Italian by DeepL/ac
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