Pharma Drives Swiss Growth Recovery After US Tariff Shock

Switzerland’s pharmaceutical industry drove a recovery after outsized US tariffs plunged its export-focused economy into only the second contraction since the pandemic.

Expansion of 1.9% among manufacturers of drugs and chemicals contributed significantly to the increase in gross domestic product — adjusted for large sport events — during the fourth quarter. The growth number of 0.2% was unchanged from an initial reading, the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs said on Friday. A contraction in the third quarter was revised to 0.4%, from 0.5%.