Scienceindustries Calls for a Swiss Free Trade Agreement with the US
New 12.5% US tariffs push Scienceindustries to urge a swift Swiss-US bilateral economic agreement to protect chemical, pharma, and life sciences trade.
Scienceindustries, Switzerland's chemical, pharma, and life sciences industry association, has responded to the additional 12.5% US tariffs announced under Section 301 measures. The association says it regrets that the US Trade Representative did not give sufficient weight to the Swiss legal framework presented by State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) or to Switzerland's existing measures against forced labor, though it welcomes the Joint Statement outcomes as a positive sign for continued dialogue.
“Tariffs create no winners. They increase the cost of products, disrupt supply chains and ultimately affect businesses, consumers and patients alike. This makes it all the more important to clear the way for a bilateral economic agreement,” said Stephan Mumenthaler, Director of Scienceindustries.
The association argues the tariffs underscore the urgency of a bilateral economic agreement between Switzerland and the US, its second-largest export market after the EU. The association notes that while pharmaceuticals and many related raw materials remain exempt, the tariffs will still raise costs across tightly integrated transatlantic supply chains—costs it says will largely fall on US companies, healthcare providers, and patients. Scienceindustries reaffirmed its commitment to fighting forced labor through international cooperation and called for swift dialogue toward a stable, rules-based trading relationship.
