Roche Chairman Severin Schwan warned of rising protectionism in the United States and China during the Swiss Economic Forum. He stated both nations leverage market power to force local value creation, disrupting the company's operational structures.
Schwan labeled a deal requiring $50 billion in US investments as blackmail. The agreement granted Roche a three-year tariff exemption on pharmaceutical products. He further described the arrangement as the law of the strongest.
Roche is now reorganizing its supply chains to reduce dependency on the political landscapes of its primary markets. This shift could negatively impact other countries, including Switzerland.