Switzerland Country Commercial Guide
Learn about the market conditions, opportunities, regulations, and business conditions in switzerland, prepared by at U.S. Embassies worldwide by Commerce Department, State Department and other U.S. agencies’ professionals
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Healthcare
Last published date:

Overview

Swiss healthcare spending reached 11.9% of GDP in 2020, according to the OECD, with per capita spending on healthcare higher than any other European country. There are opportunities for U.S. companies offering innovative medical technology (medtech) and pharmaceutical products to the Swiss market. U.S. companies may also find opportunities to supply global pharmaceutical companies based in Switzerland, including Novartis and Roche. An abundance of smaller entities and various medtech companies are active as manufacturers, suppliers, service providers, and sales companies. About 47,500 employees work directly for the Swiss pharmaceutical industry and another 63,000 work in the medtech industry.

Table: Total Market Size for Medical Technology

 

2018

2019

2020

2021 estimated

Total Local Production1

75,004

77,290

79,444

83,575

Total Exports2

79,248

86,984

91,825

105,371

Total Imports2

32,229

33,860

41,185

44,635

Imports from the US2

4374

4,375

4,372

4,481

Total Market Size

27,985

24,166

28,804

22,839

Exchange Rates

0.978

0.994

0.939

0.914

(total market size = (total local production + imports) - exports)
Units: $ millions
Source:

1Swiss gross value-added in the sectors of manufacture of pharmaceutical products and human health activities as outlined in https://www.bfs.admin.ch/bfs/de/home/statistiken/volkswirtschaft/volkswirtschaftliche-gesamtrechnung/produktionskonto.assetdetail.18424416.html (retrieved on 7/23/2022).   The growth rate for local production for 2021 was estimated at 5.2% in Swiss franc terms, in line with overall GDP growth for the year

2 Estimates include pharmaceutical products (HS Code 30) and med tech products (HS Code 9018), per the UN Comtrade database (retrieved on 6/23/22).

Leading Sub-Sectors

Drugs, instruments, and appliances used in medical, surgical, dental, or veterinary sciences, drugs in general, human and animal blood, vaccines, and bandages.

Opportunities

Opportunities for U.S. suppliers delivering the Swiss market include all leading subsectors.

Resources

  • Swiss Agency for Therapeutic Products (Swiss government agency regulating the Swiss market access): https://www.swissmedic.ch/swissmedic/de/home.html
  • Association Switzerland’s research-based pharmaceutical industry (interpharma): https://www.interpharma.ch/
  • Swiss Medtech Industry Association (Swiss Medtech): https://www.swiss-medtech.ch/ IFAS trade fair in Zurich (October 19 to 29, 2021): https://www.ifas-expo.ch/de
  • ILMAC trade fair in Basel with a focus on lab equipment (September 19 to 21, 2021): https://www.ilmac.ch/en/fair

 

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