PHARMACEUTICAL

HUB SWITZERLAND
2022
ZURICH-ZUG-LUCERNE-
SCHAFFHAUSEN
TABLE OF CONTENTS

Preface 4

Pharmaceutical Industry in Switzerland 6

Swiss Pharmaceutical Cluster 8

Zurich-Zug-Lucerne-Schaffhausen 10
Innovation Capacity 18
Location Factors 26

Company Profiles 32
Glossary 50

ZURICH-ZUG-LUCERNE-SCHAFFHAUSEN 3
PREFACE

Looking at the life sciences industry as a whole (inclu-

ding wholesale trade in pharmaceuticals and medical
technology), the Zurich-Zug-Lucerne-Schaffhausen
region is home to the largest number of companies
Government Councillor and jobs in Switzerland. The cluster generates many
Silvia Thalmann-Gut
Head of the Department of Economic positive effects, such as the availability of a highly
Affairs, Canton of Zug qualified workforce. The latter is especially important
for these research-intensive industries.
With an export share of around 50%, the chemi-
cal-pharmaceutical companies (chemicals, phar- The Zurich-Zug-Lucerne-Schaffhausen region of-
maceuticals, life sciences) are Switzerland‘s largest fers companies from the life sciences sector the best
export industries and thus an essential cornerstone overall package of location factors: the central loca-
of our national economy and our prosperity. With a tion and proximity to Zurich airport ensure excellent
share of around 50% of total exports and around accessibility, and the first-class range of education
70% of imports, the EU is by far the most important and research facilities - including the international-
trading partner of the chemical-pharmaceutical-life ly leading universities ETH Zurich and the University
sciences industries (2021). Regulated access to the of Zurich - make the region attractive in the area of
EU single market is therefore an important location innovation - also on a global level. Furthermore, the
factor for companies in Switzerland. economic area offers an attractive tax system, an ef-
fective business environment, financial and political
After the Basel area as the largest Swiss pharmaceu- stability, business friendliness, internationality and a
tical hub within Switzerland, the Zurich-Zug-Lucer- high quality of life.
ne-Schaffhausen region follows in second place. An
above-average number of Interpharma member com- The life sciences cluster in the Zug region comprises
panies have settled here. Thanks to excellent loca- a total of around 350 companies with around 9,000
tion conditions, the region has also developed into a employees.
top location in Europe for international and European
pharmaceutical and biotech headquarters in recent
decades. The region has also become a hotspot for
certain subclusters. World-leading companies in the
fields of oncology, immunology, gene therapies, rare
diseases, etc. are particularly well represented. Many
startup companies also choose their headquarters lo-
cation for EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) in
this region.

4 PHARMACEUTICAL HUB SWITZERLAND ZURICH-ZUG-LUCERNE-SCHAFFHAUSEN 5

PHARMACEUTICAL IN- The pharmaceutical industry has been the strongest
DUSTRY IN SWITZERLAND growth engine of the Swiss economy over the past
decade. Between 2010 and 2020, the industry achie-
ved real value added growth rates of 10.7 percent per
year. More than one third of the total Swiss economic

10.7%
growth was attributable to the pharmaceutical indus-
try. Despite the Corona pandemic, pharmaceutical
companies also increased their real economic output
AVERAGE ANNUAL in 2020. The gross value added in 2020 was CHF 36.8
GROWTH RATE OF REAL billion.
GROSS VALUE ADDED
per year (2010-2020) Companies from other sectors also benefit from the
success of the pharmaceutical industry, e.g. through
orders for machinery, chemical substances, insurance
services, building maintenance, security services, IT

5.1 x
services or energy. In addition, the consumer spen-
ding of employees from pharmaceutical companies
leads to turnover in trade and commerce. If these
MORE PRODUCTIVE THAN indirect effects are considered, the pharmaceutical
OVERALL ECONOMY industry generated value added of CHF 61.4 billion in
(2020) 2020 - which corresponds to almost 9% of Switzer-
land‘s economic output.

36.8 BN. The strong growth of the pharmaceutical industry has

created numerous jobs over the past 25 years. Above
all, the demand for highly qualified specialists has ri-
SWISS FRANCS NOMINAL
sen sharply. Today, more than half of all employees
GROSS VALUE ADDED
have a university degree. In total, the pharmaceutical
in 2020
industry employed around 47,000 people in 2020. In
addition, another 209,000 people are employed by
companies that are indirectly connected to the phar-

47,010 maceutical value chain.

Source: BAK Economics, FSO

EMPLOYEES The success of the pharmaceutical industry is pri-

in 2020 marily due to its high productivity. An employee in
the pharmaceutical industry generates five times as
much added value as the overall economic average.
Study on behalf of Interpharma The key factor here is the industry‘s high research
Further information on the economic importance of the
and innovation intensity.
Swiss pharmaceutical industry is provided in our publi-
cation, entitled “The Importance of the Pharmaceutical
Industry for Switzerland”. This is available on our website
at publications.

6 PHARMACEUTICAL HUB SWITZERLAND ZURICH-ZUG-LUCERNE-SCHAFFHAUSEN 7

SWISS PHARMACEUTICAL Basel Region
CLUSTER The Basel region, consisting of the cantons of Ba-
sel-Stadt, Basel-Landschaft and Jura as well as the
regions Fricktal and Dorneck-Thierstein, is one of the
world‘s leading life sciences locations. The cluster is
shaped by the successful innovative activities of the

Around 90% large pharmaceutical companies based here. Compa-

nies such as Bayer, Boehringer Ingelheim, Johnson &
OF THE SWISS PHARMACEUTICAL INDUSTRY Johnson, Moderna, Novartis and Roche are all located

Source: BAK Economics

NOMINAL GROSS VALUE ADDED in the Basel region.
was achieved in the Basel Region, Espace Mittelland-
Bassin Lémanique and Zurich-Zug-Lucerne-Schaffhau- Espace Mittelland-Bassin Lémanique
sen clusters in 2020. The cantons of Bern, Fribourg, Neuchâtel and Solo-
thurn are part of the Espace Mittelland Area while the
cantons of Geneva and Vaud are mapped in the Bas-
sin Lémanique region. Together they form the Espace
Mittelland-Bassin Lémanique cluster, which houses
the Swiss branches of Biogen, Bristol-Myers Squibb,
Lilly, GlaxoSmithKline, Merck, Sanofi, Takeda, UCB
and Vifor Pharma.

Zurich-Zug-Lucerne-Schaffhausen
The Zurich-Zug-Lucerne-Schaffhausen cluster is
home to many large companies such as AbbVie,
Amgen, AstraZeneca, Bayer, Biogen, Bristol-Myers
Squibb, Cilag, Gilead, Janssen, Lundbeck, Merck,
MSD, Novartis, Pfizer, Roche, Sanofi, Takeda and Vi-
for Pharma. The cluster is also a hotspot for biotech
start-ups - often spin-offs from the excellent local
universities. The Bio-Technopark in Schlieren-Zurich
plays an important role in the knowledge and techno-
logy transfer in the region.

Basel Region Ticino / Valais

Espace Mittelland-Bassin Lémanique Ticino / Valais are two smaller pharmaceutical clusters
in Switzerland: The Ticino cluster is currently made
Zurich-Zug-Lucerne-Schaffhausen up of several medium-sized companies. The Canton
Ticino Valais is also very important, as the region is home to
suppliers that manufacture inputs for pharmaceutical
Valais production. The best-known example is Lonza, which
produces Moderna‘s Covid 19 vaccine in Visp.

8 PHARMACEUTICAL HUB SWITZERLAND ZURICH-ZUG-LUCERNE-SCHAFFHAUSEN 9

ZURICH-ZUG-LUCERNE- The pharmaceutical industry employs just under

SCHAFFHAUSEN 4,000 people In the Zurich-Zug-Lucerne-Schaffhau-

sen region, who generated a nominal gross value
added of CHF 2.4 billion in 2020. The pharmaceuti-
cal sector is thus significantly smaller than the Basel
THE PHARMACEUTICAL INDUSTRY IN THE pharmaceutical cluster. Nevertheless, the region is an
ZURICH-ZUG-LUCERNE-SCHAFFHAUSEN CLUSTER important life sciences cluster.

The positioning of the life sciences sector in the Zu-

10.1%
rich-Zug-Lucerne-Schaffhausen region stands out
clearly from other Swiss locations. The focus is more
AVERAGE ANNUAL on medical technology, and research and develop-
GROWTH RATE OF REAL ment in biotechnology is growing at a particularly dy-
GROSS VALUE ADDED namic rate. In addition to the researching and produ-
per year (2010-2020) cing life sciences companies, the wholesale trade in
medical technology and pharmaceutical products also
plays a major role. The region is moreover home to
the headquarters of many international life sciences
corporations.

19.5 Medical technology has a deep-rooted tradition in the

Zurich-Zug-Lucerne-Schaffhausen cluster. The region
PATENT APPLICATIONS
in 2018 has long played a leading role in Switzerland in this
(per million inhabitants) field. The cluster‘s attractiveness for companies from
the life sciences sector is multifaceted. Thanks to its
proximity to Zurich International Airport, accessibility
is excellent, the tax system is appealing for innova-

2.4 MRD.
tion-intensive companies and the general quality of
life is high, especially in Zurich. Above all, the regi-
on‘s world-class university environment is of crucial
SWISS FRANCS NOMINAL importance. With the ETH Zurich and the University
GROSS VALUE ADDED of Zurich (UZH), the university hospital and research
in 2020 institutes such as Empa and Eawag as well as the
ZHAW, the region not only offers very high innova-
tion potential, but also a highly qualified workforce.
Source: BAK Economics, FSO, OECD

3 967
This is particularly important for research-intensive
industries.
,
EMPLOYEES Thanks to the favourable conditions, an above-aver-
in 2020 age number of Interpharma member companies are
in the Zurich-Zug-Lucerne-Schaffhausen region.

10 PHARMACEUTICAL HUB SWITZERLAND ZURICH-ZUG-LUCERNE-SCHAFFHAUSEN 11

ZURICH-ZUG-LUCERNE-SCHAFFHAUSEN

Employment in the life sciences sector Employment in the life sciences sub-sectors
Share of overall employment (as %), 2020 Share relative to total employees (as %), 2020

Pharmaceutical industry Medical technology Biotechnology

Possible rounding differences

Many employees in medical technology The life sciences sector in the ZH-ZG-LU-SH
The life sciences cluster employed around 13,400 region
people in 2020. This means that around 17 percent of The life sciences are represented in the public
all Swiss life sciences employees work in the region. statistics by the pharmaceutical industry, medical
The life sciences contribute just under one percent to technology and research and development in bio-
total regional employment. The employment structu- technology. However, depending on the focus of
re in the cluster differs greatly from the Swiss ave- activity, it is also possible that life sciences com-
rage. Medical technology is the most important emp- panies are included in other categories such as
loyer within the life sciences. More than 60 percent of wholesale trade or business administration. The
the workforce is employed in this sub-sector. importance of the regional life sciences is thus
underestimated with the classic sectors. In 2019,
almost 11,700 people were employed in the who-
"The importance of the life sciences lesale trade of pharmaceutical and medical tech-
sector for the Zurich economic area is nology products in the ZH-ZG-LU-SH region. This
constantly increasing. Successful start- corresponds to almost half of all jobs in the life
ups and numerous jobs bear witness to sciences including pharmaceutical and MedTech
this. Companies find here an optimal wholesale. Life sciences wholesale plays a very im-
breeding ground for developing new portant role in the canton of Zug.
ideas and products. They benefit from an inte-
resting cluster, distinctive know-how, outstanding
universities and an excellent infrastructure."

National Councillor Dr Regine Sauter, Director of the Zurich

Chamber of Commerce

12 PHARMACEUTICAL HUB SWITZERLAND ZURICH-ZUG-LUCERNE-SCHAFFHAUSEN 13

ZURICH-ZUG-LUCERNE-SCHAFFHAUSEN

Value added in the life sciences sector Growth rate of real gross value added and
Value added relative to regional total value added (as %), employement
2020 Average annual growth rate in life sciences (as %),
2010-2020

Real gross value added Employment

Pharmaceutical industry contributes more than High growth in value added

half of the life sciences value added The real gross value added of the life sciences in-
The life sciences industries generated around 2.1 per- dustry in the region has grown by 6.1 percent per
cent of the region‘s total value added in 2020. This year over the last 10 years (2010-2020). Among the
corresponds to a total nominal gross value added of international comparison regions, only Singapore
4.3 billion Swiss francs, of which the pharmaceutical and Øresund have been able to achieve even higher
industry accounts for more than half with around 2.4 growth rates than the Zurich-Zug-Lucerne-Schaff-
billion. hausen region since 2010.

In the same period, the number of life sciences em-

"The canton of Lucerne is a popular and
ployees in the region has grown at an annual rate
trusted location for global life sciences
of one percent. This means that the cluster is deve-
companies. Pharmaceutical products
loping better than San Francisco, London and Paris,
account for around 4.5% of the can-
but is behind Boston, Singapore and Øresund. The
ton‘s export performance. As the most
high value added growth combined with moderate
productive sub-sector in the life scien-
employment growth indicates a significant increase in
ces, the pharmaceutical industry thus makes a
productivity in the cluster.
significant contribution to value creation both at
the cantonal and national level. "

Adrian Derungs, Director of the Chamber of Commerce and

Industry of Central Switzerland IHZ

14 PHARMACEUTICAL HUB SWITZERLAND ZURICH-ZUG-LUCERNE-SCHAFFHAUSEN 15

ZURICH-ZUG-LUCERNE-SCHAFFHAUSEN

Productivity in the life sciences sector

Nominal labour and hourly productivity
«Due to the excellent location factors,
(in USD, current prices and exchange rates), 2020 the Zurich-Zug-Lucerne-Schaffhausen
cluster has developed into a popular
location for international headquar-
ters for pharmaceuticals and biotech
in recent decades. The region‘s attractiveness
for companies from the life sciences sector is ba-
sed on various location factors such as its central
location, proximity to Zurich Airport, first-class
education and research offerings, an attractive
tax system and the availability of a highly quali-
fied workforce in the region.»

Nominal labour productivity (in thousands) President of the Cantonal Government D ­ r Cornelia Stamm
Nominal hourly productivity
Hurter, Head of the Department of Finance, Canton of Schaff-
hausen

Pharmaceutical industry is the most productive

in life sciences
In terms of productivity, the Zurich-Zug-Lucer-
ne-Schaffhausen cluster is in the mid-range of the
international comparison regions. Employee produc-
tivity at the location was around 320,000 Swiss francs Within the life sciences sector, the pharmaceutical
(340,000 USD) in 2020, and nominal hourly produc- industry proves to be the most productive industry:
tivity was 190 Swiss francs (203 USD). in 2020, the life sciences sub-sector generated 354
Swiss francs (377 USD) per hour worked and around
606,000 Swiss francs (645,000 USD) per employee.

16 PHARMACEUTICAL HUB SWITZERLAND ZURICH-ZUG-LUCERNE-SCHAFFHAUSEN 17

INNOVATION CAPACITY

Innovation is one of the most important prerequisi-

tes for economic success in modern economies. This
is particularly true for life sciences companies. From
a competitive point of view, the innovation capacity
of locations is therefore of great importance in the
choice of location.

Due to its high cost level, Switzerland is more depen-

dent than other countries on gaining competitive ad-
vantages through innovation and technology leader-
ship. Switzerland traditionally performs very well in
international location comparisons when it comes to
innovative strength. However, its innovation capacity
must be constantly improved if it is to continue to
thrive in the face of global competition in the future.

On the following pages, the framework conditions

in the Zurich-Zug-Lucerne-Schaffhausen region are
shown, which have an impact on the region‘s inno-
vation capacity. For this purpose, the research and
development expenditures, the patent density, the
quality of the regional universities and the educatio-
nal level of the workforce are analysed.

18 PHARMACEUTICAL HUB SWITZERLAND ZURICH-ZUG-LUCERNE-SCHAFFHAUSEN 19

INNOVATION CAPACITY

Research and Development expenditures Patent Applications

Share of GDP (as %), 2019 Number of patent applications per million inhabitants, 2018

Private sector Public sector Universities Pharmaceutical industry Medical technology Biotechnology

Private sector invests heavily in R&D High density of pharmaceutical patent applications
New knowledge is generated through research and Patents play a crucial role in the commercial exploita-
development (R&D). If new developments are com- tion of newly created knowledge. This is particularly
mercially exploited, one speaks of innovation. Com- true in the life sciences sector. Therefore, patents are
panies in the pharmaceutical industry invest more an important indicator for the innovation success of
than 7 billion Swiss francs annually in R&D of new companies and for the innovative strength of a re-
medicines and therapies in Switzerland. With these gion.
investments, the companies lay the foundation for
their high innovative strength, above-average pro- Over 200 patents were registered in the life scien-
ductivity, and excellent international competitiveness. ces industries in the Zurich-Zug-Lucerne-Schaffhau-
sen region in 2018. More than every second of these
In 2019, expenditure on R&D by the private and pu- came from the field of medical technology. The patent
blic sectors and universities accounted for a total of density takes into account the size of the location and
around 3.1 per cent of Switzerland‘s GDP. More than shows the patent applications per million inhabitants.
two-thirds of R&D expenditure comes from the corpo- The Zurich-Zug-Lucerne-Schaffhausen region per-
rate sector. Overall, Switzerland is in second place in forms well here with just under 100 patents filed per
an international comparison. Only in Germany is the million inhabitants. It positions itself ahead of inter-
share of R&D expenditure in GDP somewhat higher, at national comparison regions such as Munich, Paris,
3.2 percent. Particularly noteworthy in Switzerland is Singapore, and London and is also slightly above the
the important role of R&D activity by pharmaceutical Swiss average. Boston takes the top position with
companies, which reached a share of 0.7 percent of more than 300 patent applications per million inha-
Swiss GDP in 2019. This share of GDP is many times bitants.
higher than in most other European countries.

20 PHARMACEUTICAL HUB SWITZERLAND ZURICH-ZUG-LUCERNE-SCHAFFHAUSEN 21

INNOVATION CAPACITY

Quality of the universities Quality of the universities in the life sciences sector
Index (100 = ø of all the regions studied in Western Europe Index (100 = ø of all the regions studied in Western Europe
and the USA between 2010 and 2014), 2020 and the USA between 2010 and 2014), 2020

High quality of regional universities The high importance of the universities for the phar-
The quality of local research institutions is highly re- maceutical industry can be illustrated by the example
levant to a region‘s ability to innovate. Renowned re- of ETH Zurich and UZH: Both universities are strongly
search institutions attract students and high-ranking committed to technology transfer and the promoti-
researchers from all over the world, thus increasing on of spin-offs. Every year, several startup compa-
the supply of highly qualified workers. Universities nies are founded through the support programmes
also have an important function in knowledge and and many of them then move to the Bio-Technopark
technology transfer, whether through research col- Schlieren-Zurich. Since spin-offs often lack the finan-
laborations between universities and research-based cial resources and production and distribution chan-
industry or through spin-offs. nels to commercialise their products, they enter co-
operative partnerships with large companies or are
In an international comparison, the universities in the acquired by them. Thus, universities are breeding
Zurich-Zug-Lucerne-Schaffhausen cluster perform grounds of innovation for the entire industry.
very well, scoring 113 points in the BAK Higher Edu-
cation Index. This shows that the region, and especi- BAK Quality of Universities Index
ally Zurich as a university location, is able to compete The BAK Quality of Universities Index is based on
with other top locations. In the field of life sciences, the CWTS Leiden Ranking and assesses the qua-
the region positions itself with 121 points behind Bos- lity of universities in a region. It is measured by
ton, but ahead of all other comparison regions. the total number of publications generated by a
university as well as the number of publications in
the fields of biomedical and health sciences and
their citation frequency.

22 PHARMACEUTICAL HUB SWITZERLAND ZURICH-ZUG-LUCERNE-SCHAFFHAUSEN 23

INNOVATION CAPACITY

Level of education
Share of gainfully employed (as %), 2020
"Zurich‘s life sciences sector is develo-
ping dynamically, making an important
contribution to our business location
with value added of CHF 5.3 billion.
With almost 19,000 jobs, it acts as a
job engine. The life sciences industries had a sta-
bilising effect during the Corona pandemic - and
have a lot of potential: thanks to our first-class
universities and high innovative strength, phar-
maceuticals, biotech and medtech will remain im-
portant growth drivers of our economy."
Tertiary Secondary Primary
Possible rounding differences Cantonal Councillor Carmen Walker Späh, Head of
the Department for Economic Affairs, Canton of Zurich

High educational level of the workforce

The availability of highly qualified specialists plays an
important role for research-intensive sectors such as
the pharmaceutical industry. The proportion of the
workforce with a tertiary education is therefore an
important indicator of a region‘s competitiveness and
innovative capacity.

In 2020, the share of tertiary-educated workers in

Switzerland was 43 percent of all employed persons
- in 2000, this share was still just under a quarter.
Compared with other European countries, Switzerland
stands out for its high level of education. In Finland
and the United Kingdom, however, the proportion of
tertiary-educated workers is still somewhat higher.

24 PHARMACEUTICAL HUB SWITZERLAND ZURICH-ZUG-LUCERNE-SCHAFFHAUSEN 25

LOCATION FACTORS

In addition to innovation capacity, regional location

factors also play an important role in corporate suc-
cess. Increasing competitive pressure in the wake of
globalization has led to companies regularly recon-
sidering location decisions. Regions must therefore
continue to optimize their location advantages to re-
main attractive for companies that have already sett-
led here, but also for companies interested in moving,
as well as for highly qualified employees.

For companies, hard location factors such as taxation

and regulation are usually at the forefront of the lo-
cation discussion. For highly qualified workers, howe-
ver, soft factors such as education and quality of life
play an important role in addition to the tax burden.

On the following pages, various key figures from the

areas of taxation, accessibility and regulation are
examined to evaluate the location quality of the Zu-
rich-Zug-Lucerne-Schaffhausen region.

"I am pleased that the life sciences in-

dustry is prospering in our region and
that we are always succeeding in at-
tracting new companies. Companies
appreciate not only the tax framework,
but also the advantages for their skilled workers:
a high quality of life, charming landscapes and
very good cultural, educational and mobility offe-
rings round off Lucerne‘s locational advantages."

Government Councillor Fabian Peter, Head of the

Department of Construction, Environment and Econo-
mic Affairs, Canton of Lucerne

26 PHARMACEUTICAL HUB SWITZERLAND ZURICH-ZUG-LUCERNE-SCHAFFHAUSEN 27

LOCATION FACTORS

Market regulation BAK Taxation Index

Product and labour market regulation index Taxation of companies and highly qualified workforce, 2021
(0 = very liberal; 6 = strictly regulated), 1999 and 2019

2019 1999

Liberal labour market Tax system as a locational advantage

The intensity of regulation of (product and labour) Attractive taxes for companies and highly qualified
markets has significant effects on the attractiveness employees are an important factor in international
of a location. Government regulation is a double-ed- location competition. In comparison with other loca-
ged sword. Overregulation leads to excessive admi- tions, the Zurich-Zug-Lucerne-Schaffhausen cluster
nistrative costs and high barriers to market entry. On has the most attractive tax environment after Singa-
the other hand, regulations can also promote com- pore. Both the taxation of highly qualified professio-
petition and encourage business-friendly structures. nals and that of companies is low and thus represents
an important locational advantage of the region. In
The vast majority of the comparison countries were fact, the tax environment for innovation-intensive
less heavily regulated overall in 2019 than in 1999, companies is even more favourable than the ordina-
with the exception of the USA, where product mar- ry corporate tax rates indicate, because since the in-
ket regulation has become stricter. By international troduction of the patent box, expenses for research
comparison, Switzerland has a liberal labour market. and development as well as income from domestic or
Only in the UK and the USA is the labour market even foreign patents are treated privileged under tax law
more liberal. In terms of product market regulation, in Switzerland.
Switzerland has the second-highest density of regu-
lation among the countries in the comparison, but the Measurement of taxation (Taxation Index)
differences between the countries are quite small. Taxation of companies including all indirect com-
pany taxes respectively taxation of a highly
qualified employee with an after-tax income of
100,000 euros.

28 PHARMACEUTICAL HUB SWITZERLAND ZURICH-ZUG-LUCERNE-SCHAFFHAUSEN 29

LOCATION FACTORS

Doing Business Index Global Accessibility

Maximum: Index 100, 2013 and 2019 Index (100 = ø of all areas inspected 2020), 2020

2013 2019

Average regulatory environment for doing busi- Strong global accessibility

ness In the context of globalisation, business processes of-
Switzerland ranked only 38th in the World Bank‘s ten take place at different company locations. Good
Doing Business Index in 20191. In a European com- accessibility to production sites and sales markets
parison, Switzerland is behind the Nordic countries therefore plays a major role in the choice of location.
and large economies such as the UK, France and Ger-
many. The USA is also significantly better positioned. In comparison with international life sciences loca-
One reason for Switzerland‘s below-average perfor- tions, the Zurich-Zug-Lucerne-Schaffhausen cluster
mance is the comparatively high administrative hurd- positions itself well with 111 points in the global ac-
les for companies. This affects start-ups in particular cessibility index. Thanks to its proximity to Zurich Air-
when founding a company. port, which is one of the best airports in Europe, the
region is well connected worldwide.

Doing Business Index

The index ranks economies according to their Measurement of accessibility
ease of doing business. The higher the ranking, Indexed value that quantifies the global accessi-
the more business-friendly the regulatory conditi- bility of a region. It reflects the outbound accessi-
ons are in terms of starting and operating a local bility from a region to locations in the rest of the
firm. world.

1
Source: The World Bank, 2019

30 PHARMACEUTICAL HUB SWITZERLAND ZURICH-ZUG-LUCERNE-SCHAFFHAUSEN 31

COMPANY PROFILES

AbbVie Amgen
We are a global, research-based biopharmaceuti- Amgen Inc., which is based in Thousand Oaks, Ca-
cal company focused on discovering and developing lifornia, was founded in 1980 as Applied Molecular
innovative therapies that treat some of the world‘s Genetics Inc. and is one of the pioneers of indust-
most serious and complex diseases. Our goal is to rial biotechnology and is the world‘s largest inde-
improve people‘s lives. We focus on the following pendent biotechnology company with nearly 21,000
therapeutic areas: immunology, oncology, neurosci- employees in nearly 100 countries. In 1989, Amgen
ence, ophthalmology, virology and gastroenterology. established its European headquarters in Switzerland
The acquisition of Allergan brings together more than – and in 2002 the Swiss subsidiary followed. Since
30 leading brands and expands and diversifies our 2018, the hub and the Swiss branch are in Rotkreuz.
product portfolio. Amgen is committed to researching the latest biome-
Headquartered in Chicago, USA, AbbVie employs ap- dical prospects for the benefit of patients with serious
proximately 48,000 people worldwide. Around 57 mil- diseases. Using modern methods of gene technology,
lion patients in more than 175 countries benefit from Amgen is working on deciphering the complexity of
AbbVie medicines every year. In Switzerland, 250 diseases and understanding the fundamental princip-
employees work for AbbVie. In 2021, AbbVie Swit- les of human biology. Our drugs are used in nephro-
zerland was named a „Great Place to Work“ for the logy, cardiology, hematology, oncology, bone health
seventh time and even achieved first place among and chronic inflammatory diseases. In addition to ori-
the best employers in the „medium-sized companies“ ginal preparations, our portfolio also includes biosimi-
category for the second time in a row. lars. We have a diverse pipeline.

[Link] [Link]

32 PHARMACEUTICAL HUB SWITZERLAND ZURICH-ZUG-LUCERNE-SCHAFFHAUSEN 33

COMPANY PROFILES

AstraZeneca Bayer
AstraZeneca is a global biopharmaceutical company Bayer is one of the world‘s leading life sciences com-
specialising in the research, development, manufac- panies. For over 150 years, we have been growing
ture and marketing of prescription medicines. With a through research, development and innovation in the
turnover of around USD 34 billion (2021), AstraZe- areas of health and nutrition. The number of peo-
neca is one of the world‘s leading companies in the ple is growing steadily, and they are getting older.
research-based pharmaceutical industry and inves- We all want to stay healthy and have enough to eat;
ted more than 28 percent of its turnover in research. a big challenge for the global community. For us at
The British-Swedish group is headquartered in Cam- Bayer, it is motivation and incentive to be passionate
bridge. The main therapeutic areas are oncology; about people‘s health and nutrition. We work every
cardiovascular, renal and metabolic diseases; respira- day to put our knowledge and expertise at the ser-
tory diseases and immunology; and rare diseases. In vice of people: by developing and making available
Switzerland, AstraZeneca employs about 350 highly high-quality products that help people to improve
qualified people in local, regional and international their lives a little. That is what we are all about. We
positions. AstraZeneca was named a Great Place to call it: Science For A Better Life. In Switzerland, Bay-
Work® in 2021 for the fourth year in a row. er employs around 1,600 people in Zurich, Basel and
Muttenz.
[Link]

[Link]

34 PHARMACEUTICAL HUB SWITZERLAND ZURICH-ZUG-LUCERNE-SCHAFFHAUSEN 35

COMPANY PROFILES

Biogen Bristol-Myers Squibb

As a pioneer in neuroscience, Biogen researches, de- Bristol Myers Squibb is a leading global biopharma-
velops and markets innovative therapies worldwide ceutical company dedicated to discovering, develo-
for people with serious neurological diseases and in ping and delivering innovative medicines. The compa-
related therapeutic areas. Founded in Geneva in 1978 ny helps millions of people worldwide in therapeutic
as one of the first global biotechnology companies, areas such as oncology, haematology and immuno-
Biogen today has an extensive portfolio of medici- logy, as well as cardiovascular disease. Bristol Myers
nes for multiple sclerosis, the first approved therapy Squibb has been present in the Swiss pharmaceutical
for spinal muscular atrophy and markets biosimilars market for over 60 years and is involved in internatio-
of advanced biologics. We are focused on advancing nal research due to the importance of the location. In
our research programmes in neuroscience that can Switzerland, the company employs over 1 000 people
change the standard of care in areas of high unmet in Steinhausen, Zofingen and Boudry. Bristol Myers
need, such as Alzheimer‘s disease. Since 2004, Bio- Squibb was awarded as a Great Place to Work® in
gen has managed its operations from its international 2021 and 2022.
headquarters in Baar. In Switzerland, Biogen is also
[Link]
present with the state-of-the-art production facility
in Luterbach, which enables large-scale production of
biopharmaceuticals.
[Link]

36 PHARMACEUTICAL HUB SWITZERLAND ZURICH-ZUG-LUCERNE-SCHAFFHAUSEN 37

COMPANY PROFILES

Gilead / Gilead Sciences Switzerland Sàrl Janssen

Gilead is a leading pharmaceutical company head- Janssen is the pharmaceutical division of the Johnson
quartered in California, USA, that develops innovative & Johnson family of companies and is one of the lea-
medicines to treat life-threatening diseases. A major ding research-based pharmaceutical companies with
concern of Gilead is to provide patients with highly around 40,000 employees worldwide and a presence
effective medicines that are easy to use in everyday in over 150 countries. The sales organisation Jans-
life, e.g. by integrating several active ingredients into sen-Cilag AG and employees in the areas of supply
one tablet. The treatment portfolio includes prepa- chain and logistics are based at the Swiss headquar-
rations for the therapy of HIV/AIDS, liver diseases ters in Zug. In Switzerland, Janssen has three other
and cancer, among others. Through Gilead‘s ACCESS independent legal entities with around 2,000 emp-
programme, patients in developing countries have si- loyees - the production site Cilag AG in Schaffhausen,
multaneous access to innovative medicines at affor- Janssen Vaccines AG in Bern and the site in Allschwil
dable prices. Gilead Sciences has more than 13,000 (BL), a global research and development centre in the
employees worldwide. The Swiss subsidiary, based in field of pulmonary hypertension (formerly Actelion).
Zug, currently employs around 70 people. Janssen has been developing innovative therapies
for over five decades and focuses its research on six
[Link]
therapeutic areas: cardiovascular and metabolism,
immunology, infectious diseases and vaccines, neuro-
science, oncology and pulmonary hypertension (high
blood pressure in the pulmonary circulation).

[Link]/switzerland

38 PHARMACEUTICAL HUB SWITZERLAND ZURICH-ZUG-LUCERNE-SCHAFFHAUSEN 39

COMPANY PROFILES

Lundbeck Merck
Lundbeck (Schweiz) AG is the subsidiary of the Da- Founded by Friedrich Jacob Merck in Darmstadt in
nish pharmaceutical company of the same name and 1668, Merck is the world‘s oldest pharmaceutical and
has been in existence since 1948. Since 2016, the chemical company. Over the course of 350 years, we
Swiss subsidiary has been located in the Zurich air- have developed into a leading science and techno-
port area. Today, 70% of the Lundbeck company is logy company in the fields of healthcare, life sciences
owned by the Lundbeck Foundation, which was es- and performance materials. Our 56,000 employees
tablished in 1954. The Lundbeck Foundation awards share a passion for new ideas, technological opportu-
around CHF 70 million in independent research fun- nities, and the potential to make a difference around
ding each year and also awards the world‘s largest the world. From biopharmaceuticals for the treatment
Brain Prize. Each year, the Lundbeck Foundation of cancer or multiple sclerosis, to cutting-edge sys-
awards approximately 1.3 million Swiss francs to one tems for scientific research and production, to liquid
or more brain researchers who have made a ground- crystals for smartphones. Since the establishment of
breaking contribution to neuroscience. The H. Lund- its first subsidiary in 1929, Merck has had a strong
beck A /S company invests in research into new drugs presence in Switzerland in the Healthcare and Life
to treat diseases of the central nervous system, with Sciences sectors. Specialised, high-quality products
a focus on migraine, depression and schizophrenia. are manufactured in Switzerland and supplied all over
In addition to developing new and increasingly better the world. In total, Merck employs over 2,500 people
drug therapies, we also advocate for those affected at 8 sites in Aubonne, Corsier-sur-Vevey, Eysins, Zug,
and their families and fight for social acceptance of Altdorf, Schaffhausen and Buchs.
people with brain diseases.
[Link]

[Link]/ch

40 PHARMACEUTICAL HUB SWITZERLAND ZURICH-ZUG-LUCERNE-SCHAFFHAUSEN 41

COMPANY PROFILES

MSD (Merck Sharp & Dohme) Novartis Pharma Schweiz

MSD (Merck Sharp & Dohme) is a leading global biophar- Novartis Pharma Switzerland is a subsidiary of the
maceutical company that has been developing medicines international Novartis Group. At the Rotkreuz site, the
and vaccines for the most challenging diseases for more company shares a modern office building with San-
than a century. MSD Switzerland employs around 1,000 doz, the generics and biosimilars division of Novartis.
people in local, regional and global functions at four sites The approximately 280 employees of this business
in the canton of Lucerne and one site in the canton of Zu- unit commercialise the approximately 100 prescrip-
rich. Our business activities are divided into the two areas tion medicines of the Novartis Group in Switzerland.
of human and veterinary medicine. In human medicine, The most important therapeutic areas include neuro-
research activities focus on oncology and vaccines. In the logy, immunology, dermatology, ophthalmology, re-
area of infectious diseases, MSD is also re-searching new spiratory diseases, cardiology and oncology.
therapeutic approaches for antibiotic resistance and HIV/
[Link]
AIDS. Other research focuses are immunology and diabe-
tes. In addition, MSD is committed to tackling major pub-
lic health challenges such as Ebola and SARS-CoV-2. Sin-
ce 2018, MSD has been operating a fo-rensic laboratory in
Schachen with the aim of detecting tampering and coun-
terfeiting of our products, thereby making an important
contribution to patient safety. MSD Switzerland has been
continuously certified as a „Top Employer“ since 2013 and
takes a pioneering position with its employee regulation
for gender-neutral parental leave.

[Link]

42 PHARMACEUTICAL HUB SWITZERLAND ZURICH-ZUG-LUCERNE-SCHAFFHAUSEN 43

COMPANY PROFILES

Pfizer Roche
At Pfizer, we are committed to „breakthrough the- Roche Diagnostics International Ltd in Rotkreuz ZG
rapies that improve patients‘ lives“ and have been was founded in 1969 and is today a leading global
successfully researching and developing innovative provider of diagnostic system solutions. With around
medicines and vaccines to treat or prevent disease 2,800 employees from over 70 nations, the company
for over 170 years. Pfizer is one of the world‘s lea- is the largest private employer in the canton of Zug.
ding biopharmaceutical companies, headquartered The site is part of the Roche Group and combines the
in Manhattan, New York, with approximately 90,000 central business areas and functions of the Diagno-
colleagues worldwide. Pfizer has been based in Zu- stics Division. Innovative tests and systems for the
rich, Switzerland, since 1959 and makes an import- rapid and reliable diagnosis of diseases are developed
ant contribution to the provision of medicines to the here. The company is also the largest manufacturer
local population. Pfizer distributes over 120 mainly of fully automated, integrated in vitro diagnostic sys-
prescription medicines throughout Switzerland. tems in Switzerland. The EMEA/LATAM sales organi-
sation and the Swiss sales teams of Roche Diagnostics
[Link]
and Roche Diabetes Care are also located at the site.

[Link]

44 PHARMACEUTICAL HUB SWITZERLAND ZURICH-ZUG-LUCERNE-SCHAFFHAUSEN 45

COMPANY PROFILES

Sanofi Takeda
Sanofi is a leading global healthcare company whose Founded in Japan in 1781, Takeda is now a leading
Swiss subsidiary employs around 200 people at two global, value-driven, research-based biopharmaceu-
sites in Vernier and Rotkreuz. The company is mainly tical company. In around 80 countries worldwide,
active in the following therapeutic areas: immunolo- more than 50,000 employees are committed to im-
gy, oncology, rare diseases, multiple sclerosis, and proving patients‘ quality of life and working with all
vaccines, as well as diabetes, central nervous sys- healthcare partners.
tem disorders and cardiovascular diseases. Over-the- Takeda entered the Swiss market in 1986 under the
counter medicines complement the range of prescrip- name Takeda Pharma AG. Since January 2020, Ta-
tion medicines. keda Switzerland has been in Glattpark, Zurich, to-
gether with the headquarters for Europe and Cana-
[Link]
da. In total, more than 1,000 employees are based
at this site. The focus of Takeda Switzerland and its
approximately 90 employees is on the approval and
distribution of medicinal products for the Swiss mar-
ket. A further 600 employees at the production site
in Neuchâtel manufacture recombinant blood clotting
factors for the global market. In 2022, Takeda was
certified as a Top Employer in Switzerland for the se-
cond time in a row.

[Link]

46 PHARMACEUTICAL HUB SWITZERLAND ZURICH-ZUG-LUCERNE-SCHAFFHAUSEN 47

COMPANY PROFILES

Vifor Pharma
The Vifor Pharma Group is a global pharmaceutical
company with the goal of becoming the global market
leader in iron deficiency and nephrology. As a pre-
ferred partner for pharmaceutical products and inno-
vative, patient-oriented solutions around iron, dialy-
sis, nephrology and rare diseases, the Vifor Pharma
Group aims to help patients with serious, chronic and
rare diseases around the world to live a life of better
health. The company specialises in strategic global
partnerships, in-licensing and the development, pro-
duction and marketing of pharmaceutical products for
targeted patient care. The Vifor Pharma Group holds
a leading position in all its core businesses and con-
sists of the following companies: Vifor Pharma, Sanifit
Therapeutics and Vifor Fresenius Medical Care Renal
Pharma (a jointly managed company with Fresenius
Medical Care). The Vifor Pharma Group is headquar-
tered in Switzerland and listed on the Swiss Stock
Exchange.
[Link]
[Link]

48 PHARMACEUTICAL HUB SWITZERLAND

GLOSSARY Publishing information
Published by:
Interpharma
Association of research-based pharmaceutical
companies in Switzerland
Petersgraben 35
ETH Swiss Federal Institute of Technology P.O. Box
FSO Federal Statistical Office, Switzerland CH-4009 Basel
GDP Gross Domestic Product
GVA Gross Value Added Phone: +41 (0) 61 264 34 00
ISIC International Standard Industrial E-mail: info@[Link]
Classification of All Economic Activities Website: [Link]
OECD Organisation for Economic Co-operation
and Development
R&D Research and Development

Information on areas
Boston Boston-Cambridge-Newton
Munich Munich Region
SF Bay Area San Francisco Bay Area

Demarcation of the life sciences industry

The definition of the life sciences industry used in
this publication includes the following ISIC branches:
Pharmaceutical Industry (21), Electronic Medical
Technology (26.6), Orthopaedic Medical Technology
(32.5) and Research and Development on Biotech-
nology (72.11). The content of the publication can also be found on the In-
terpharma website at [Link]. Graphics from
the latest version may be downloaded for your free use
provided the source is quoted.

Print: BSB Medien, Basel

Deutsche Originalversion verfügbar

© Interpharma, 2022
Photocopying permitted with acknowledgement of source
50 PHARMACEUTICAL HUB SWITZERLAND
Interpharma
Petersgraben 35, P.O. Box
CH-4009 Basel
Phone +41 (0) 61 264 34 00
info@[Link]
[Link]