The United States is weighing a Section 301 trade investigation into Switzerland’s pharmaceutical sector, mirroring a probe launched last week against Germany. Section 301 investigations target suspected unfair trade practices, and the German inquiry followed Berlin’s April announcement of a healthcare system overhaul that would lower spending on pharmaceutical products. While the German probe could lead to tariff‑related measures on German drug imports, sources indicate the U.S. government is reconsidering the plan after pharmaceutical companies voiced opposition.
Switzerland is currently reviewing measures to reduce mandatory healthcare prices, a move that the industry has criticized as potentially lowering drug prices. Interpharma CEO René Buholzer said in a statement that “it is clear that Switzerland is also a potential target in light of the current (health insurance ordinance) revision.”
Buholzer cited a letter from Republican U.S. congressmen sent earlier this month, which urged the U.S. Trade Representative and the Commerce Secretary to open Section 301 investigations into foreign pharmaceutical pricing policies. The lawmakers argued that foreign governments’ spending restrictions unfairly shift the burden of pharmaceutical innovation onto U.S. consumers, naming both Germany and Switzerland as “doubling down on their strategy to free‑ride off the United States.”
Switzerland hosts major drugmakers such as Roche and Novartis, and pharmaceutical and chemical products together accounted for more than half of Switzerland’s exports in the previous year, underscoring the potential economic impact of any tariff‑related action.