List of the 100 largest pharmaceutical companies Switzerland [2023]

List of the 3 largest pharmaceutical companies in Switzerland

The pharmaceutical sector is one of the most important industries in Switzerland and accounts for a significant share of the country’s exports. Below we present the three largest pharmaceutical companies in Switzerland, which are also among the most important companies in the industry worldwide.

1. Roche Holding AG, Basel: CHF 58.3 billion in sales (2020)

In terms of sales, Roche is not only the largest pharmaceutical company in Switzerland, but also worldwide. Roche was founded in 1896 and has since grown continuously and expanded internationally. The company is particularly strong in the areas of biotechnology, cancer medication and in vitro diagnostics, among others. Billions of euros are invested in research and development to ensure continued innovation and growth.

2. Novartis AG, Basel: CHF 48.7 billion in sales (2020)

Also based in Basel is Novartis. Formed from the merger of Ciba-Geigy and Sandoz, Novartis is also one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world. More than 100,000 employees work in the areas of patent-protected drugs, generics, vaccines and diagnostics, over-the-counter drugs, etc. With the Novartis Venture Fund, the Group is also one of the most important early-stage investors in the Life Sciences and BioTech segments.

3. Debiopharm International SA, Lausanne: CHF 25 billion (2020)

With sales of CHF 25 billion, Debiopharm is an absolute heavyweight in the pharmaceutical industry in Switzerland. The pharmaceutical company is active in drug development and the manufacture of proprietary medicines. Meanwhile, 420 employees contribute to the fact that Debiopharm is one of the absolute global market leaders in these segments and has been able to conclude numerous successful partnerships. Debiopharm is still family-owned. With the Debiopharm Innovation Fund, the company successfully pursues digital health investments.

Picture Source: Pawel Czerwinski

The Swiss pharmaceutical industry at a glance

Swiss pharmaceutical companies such as Roche and Novartis are world market leaders and the Swiss pharmaceutical industry is one of the most important pillars of the Swiss economy. Year after year Swiss exports are led by “chemical-pharmaceutical” products. Next to an industry rich in tradition, pharmaceutical companies find a fertile environment in Switzerland. Leading universities provide a steady supply of talented young scientists. The well-funded investment industry provides necessary capital. The highly developed Swiss healthcare system lends itself to the introduction of new products. In addition, Switzerland is one of the leading stock exchanges for pharmaceutical companies in Europe.

Industries of the largest Swiss drug manufacturers

Pharmaceutical companies in Switzerland are active in various directions. Thus, the following areas represent the main research directions.

Oncology

Cancer research is one of the most important areas of the pharmaceutical industry. There are numerous companies specializing in cancer drugs in Switzerland. Pharmaceutical giants such as Roche are also broadly positioned in the oncology field, conducting research on numerous agents ranging from breast to lung cancer, for example.

Immunology

In immunology, research is being conducted into numerous autoimmune and immune diseases and into the discovery of drugs to combat them. The focus is on diseases that are still often difficult to treat, such as Crohn’s disease or inflammatory diseases.

Infectious diseases

Research into infectious diseases has become increasingly important, especially in the Covid era. For example, research is being conducted into drugs to treat hepatitis, HIV, influenza and bacterial infections.

Neuropharma

Another important area is research into neurological disorders, many of which have not been well treated to date. The focus here is on Alzeimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis and Huntington’s disease.

Generics

Some pharmaceutical companies in Switzerland are also focusing on the production of generics. Generics are copycat preparations of successful drugs whose patent protection has expired.

OTC drugs

So-called OTC drugs (“over-the-counter”) are available over-the-counter and without a prescription. They also represent an important part of the Swiss pharmaceutical industry.

Picture source: Wengang Zhai

Database of the largest Swiss medication producers for download as a clear Excel list.

Our list of the largest pharmaceutical companies in Switzerland provides you with a unique overview of this important Swiss industry. The data are clearly arranged in an Excel file and are always kept up-to-date by our research team. In addition to general contact details, our list also includes information on the pharmaceutical companies’ fields of activity. We also provide the sales and employee figures of the largest pharmaceutical companies in Switzerland, provided they are publicly available. The data set can be easily purchased via our online store and is available for download immediately after purchase. It has never been easier to find suitable partners in the Swiss pharmaceutical industry. By the way, if you are also interested in German companies, we also offer a list of the 200 largest pharmaceutical companies in Germany.

Included information in our database

• Company name, legal form and parent company (if there are unified consolidated financial statements)
• General contact details (address incl. region and canton, e-mail address, telephone number, URL, names of the executives)
• Segmentation by industry and field of activity
• If publicly available via annual report or similar: sales figures for 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016 and 2015 and number of employees for the last three years