Basel’s world-beating pharma hub fights for place in new global order

Published on August 11, 2026

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The Swiss city of Basel is still one of Europe’s great pharmaceutical centres, but AI, geopolitics, new competitors and changing investment patterns are forcing it to fight harder for its place in the industry. Few cities in the world have an identity so tightly bound to an industry as Basel and pharmaceuticals. Roche and Novartis, two of the world’s biggest drugmakers, loom large over the city. Walk across any bridge in the city, and you can see the white stepladder towers of Roche on one side and the Novartis campus on the other. Their origins in the area date back nearly two centuries, a history that began with chemical dyestuffs for the textile trade, evolved into producing pills, syrups and injections, and now into gene and cell therapies. “Basel has a long tradition of welcoming new ideas and people,” said Maria Luisa Brooke, a tour guide with Basel Tourism. “This has made it a place that fosters innovation.” This history is both a blessing and a burden. The industry has made ... Full story here Are you the author?

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