Swiss Parallel Import Debate

PRLog (Press Release) – Mar 03, 2008 – The influential umbrella group of the Association of the Swiss Chemical and Pharmaceutical Companies has demanded that the government act to remove global trade barriers. The Association director Beat Moser called on the Swiss government to create a level playing field during its regular negotiations within the World Trade Organization. Failing that, such demands should be made when creating free trade agreements with selected countries.


"We have a worldwide standard for patent protection and it should be applied everywhere according to the spirit of the agreement. We also want to make trade as free as possible in the world by getting rid of all customs taxes and import regulations," he told swissinfo.

The association said free trade agreement talks should centre on the developing powerhouse economies of Brazil, Russia, India and China, as well as the United States.

But Moser rejected growing calls to end Switzerland's ban on parallel imports, a restriction that pushes up the price of drugs in the country.

Swiss companies would be forced to cut their research operations if their goods were allowed to be imported into Switzerland from cheaper markets at lower prices, he told swissinfo.

"The consumer view is only one side of the argument, you also have to see what innovation brings in terms of value creation and employment," Moser said.

"You can lower the prices but you should not just focus on the short-term view of the consumer. What would you do tomorrow if the industry is damaged?" he added.

The Swiss Foundation for Consumer Protection last year rejected the idea that parallel imports would damage pharmaceutical research, arguing that the Swiss market represented only about 1.2 per cent of the companies' turnover.

swissinfo, Matthew Allen in Zurich

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