Roche is one of the largest biotech companies on the world. They are known as being one of the first pharmaceutical companies that have made significant contributions in getting key medicines into the hands of the public. One of their biggest achievements has been the discovery of the anti-HIV drug, Saquinavir which greatly reduced the death toll of AIDS victims from 50,000 to 18,000 in a year’s time. Roche has been known to lead the way in innovation when it comes to the introduction of new drugs. They have been credited for initiating the wide use of anti-depressants and tranquilizers. Roche continues to grow in size and popularity through acquisitions such as Genentech and Ventana Pharmaceuticals to name a few. Their continued success can be credited to strong innovation, technological and scientific prowess, creativity, and heavy investment in research and development. These principles have provided a solid foundation for Switzerland’s competitive position in international markets. Given their current position and strategies, they appear to be on course to continue to dominate internationally within this …show more content…
This partnership is a high standard trade and investment agreement being negotiated between the United States and the European Union. This partnership will provide the U.S. increased access to European markets for goods and services which in turn will have an effect on increasing the competitiveness of the United States. This agreement however can either have a positive or negative effect on the Swiss economy contingent upon whether or not they are granted access to its benefits. Switzerland would have to adopt a proactive foreign trade policy to ensure that its companies receive equal treatment to U.S. and EU companies to prevent their bilateral negotiation with the EU from decreasing. The implementation of an initiative in contrast to mass immigration by the Swiss People’s Party can also have a negative effect on Switzerland’s bilateral relations with the EU. Switzerland currently has approximately 120 bilateral agreements in place with EU. If these agreements happen to become dissolved, the Swiss economy could face repercussions from such a decision for