Swiss industry body says US tariffs on pharmaceuticals will harm patients

By Marleen Kaesebier

ZURICH, April 3 (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump’s 100% tariffs on the pharmaceutical industry threaten global production, supply chains and ultimately will harm patients, Switzerland’s pharmaceutical association interpharma said on Friday.

It urged the Swiss government to negotiate a similar deal to that finalised by Britain, which the UK government said on Thursday made Britain the only country to have tariff-free access to the U.S. pharmaceutical market following Trump’s executive order.

“The tariffs imposed by the U.S. threaten global production and supply chains for pharmaceuticals, hinder research and development, and ultimately harm patients worldwide,” interpharma said in a statement posted to LinkedIn.

Under Trump’s order signed on Thursday, branded pharmaceuticals imported into the U.S. will be subject to the tariffs unless manufacturers agree to government drug pricing deals or commit to making their products domestically.

The British government’s deal on tariff-free ​access for UK-made medicines agrees to higher prices for new drugs, including those purchased by Britain’s National Health Service.

“We call on Switzerland to advocate for a solution on par with that of the United Kingdom in its tariff negotiations with the U.S.. The goal must be to free the pharmaceutical industry from tariffs as much as possible,” interpharma said.  

Chemical and pharmaceutical products made up more than half of Switzerland’s total exports in 2025, which hit a record 287 billion Swiss francs ($359.02 billion). Excluding gold, other precious metals, gems, artworks and antiques, Swiss exports to the U.S. specifically were worth 54.7 billion Swiss francs.

($1 = 0.7994 Swiss francs)

(Reporting by Marleen Kaesebier; editing by Barbara Lewis)