Home to the pharmaceutical heavyweights, Novartis and Roche, elite contract manufacturers and a dizzying array of acclaimed research institutions and medical institutes, Switzerland has long stood proud as a true powerhouse in medical discovery, drug development, and pharma
manufacturing.
Famed as an early-adopter market with capabilities spanning the entire life science value chain and ever eager to capitalize upon its stellar rankings for ease of doing business and innovation, the country increasingly manages to catch the eye of medical pioneers and trendsetters the world over.
One manifestation of this dynamic has been the booming Swiss biotech sector and the flurry of associated local M&A activity. With the country today laying claim to over 1,000 life science start-ups – ranging from university spin-outs and R&D specialists to emerging healthtech trailblazers – and new such entities proliferating at an annual tempo of 10 percent, it is clear that – although it still has a long road to travel to be competitive with the likes of Boston and San Francisco – Switzerland is fast cementing a reputation as a destination of choice for entrepreneurs seeking to shape the next generation of medical innovation.
This report dives deep into this frenetic and rapidly maturing ecosystem, where fantastic fundamentals in terms of science, funding and manufacturing are in place, but where there is still work to do on visibility and risk-taking. We analyse which specific ingredients render Switzerland’s biotech space such a competitive and alluring proposition internationally. We discuss the benefits to be accrued from Swiss listing and discover how the country has managed to assemble such a well-rounded, supportive and sustainable enabling ecosystem so thoroughly
and quickly. Finally, we speak to the heads of Swiss-based biotechs spanning the development cycle from pre-clinical firms to those with products already on the market to hear about their technologies, their development and funding plans, and what makes Switzerland a good place to be.
