"Research must continue to be possible in the future!"
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On 13 February 2022, we will be voting on the harmful initiative to ban animal and human experiments. scienceindustries is actively promoting a clear NO vote to this radical initiative. This rigorous ban would mean that a large proportion of clinical research would no longer be possible in Switzerland. In many research disciplines, the restrictions would lead to a de facto ban on research.
The initiative’s proposed ban on imports of products that have been developed on the basis of animal and human experiments would cut Switzerland off from medical progress. At the same time, the pharmaceutical supply would be called into question and numerous cosmetics, detergents and important chemicals for the food processing, construction and cleaning industries would be lacking. Every voice counts: vote NO to the initiative to ban animal and human experiments on 13 February!
Researchers in Switzerland, and thus also the chemical and pharmaceutical industry, are also focusing on another topic: the loss of Switzerland’s full association with Horizon Europe, the most important EU research programme. Together with our partners from the scientific community – the ETH Board and swissuniversities – we have therefore issued a Resolution (available in German/French) calling for full association again before the end of the year and for an innovation offensive by the Federal Council. The economic success of our country is based on its innovative strength and Horizon Europe is a key element in this.
Yours sincerely
Stephan Mumenthaler, Director of scienceindustries
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Ban on animal and human experiments
Reducing animal experiments further with the 3R principles
Pharmaceutical companies engaged in research do their best to minimise animal testing as much as possible and use specific projects to continuously develop their high standards. Here, the focus falls on the 3R principles: refine, reduce, replace. As a result, the number of animal experiments has been significantly reduced, but these will remain important for research.
Medicines and other healthcare products meet the highest standards of quality, efficacy and safety. However, these can often not be achieved without animal testing. Animal experiments are already only done today where they are indispensable for scientific, ethical and regulatory reasons and cannot be replaced by alternative methods. The pharmaceutical industry has been committed to applying the 3R principles (refine, reduce, replace) for 30 years: not only has this helped to reduce the number of animal experiments from around 2 million to less than 600,000 per year, it has also contributed to reducing the stress on the animals.
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Relations with the EU
Horizon Europe Resolution to the Federal Council
The termination of the negotiations for a framework agreement jeopardises the future networking of Switzerland as a centre of research and innovation. This has serious consequences for universities, public research institutions and the research industry.
In order to strengthen Switzerland as a centre of research and innovation and to safeguard valuable jobs in our country, Switzerland must once again be fully associated with Horizon Europe before the end of 2022. The Federal Council must quickly take all necessary measures to achieve this goal. Until then, further suitable measures are needed as part of an innovation offensive in order to preserve the excellence and competitiveness of Switzerland as a research and innovation hub. These measures must be initiated immediately and the appropriate funding must be provided for them. This is demanded by scienceindustries, swissuniversities and the ETH Board in a Resolution addressed to the Federal Council.
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Export
Abolition of tariffs for industrial goods possible from 1 January 2023
After the end of the optional referendum period, the business world is ready to implement the new customs regulations as quickly as possible. This was communicated in a letter to the Federal Council by the chairmen of economiesuisse, scienceindustries, Swissmem, swisstextiles and the Swiss Association of Independent Vehicle Traders (VFAS) .
By its decision of 1 October 2021, the Swiss parliament approved the abolition of industrial tariffs and the simplification of the customs tariff structure. scienceindustries welcomes the Federal Council’s intention to quickly finalise the date of entry into force now that the unused referendum period has expired. This will enable companies to prepare for the technical and organisational implementation in a forward-looking and appropriate manner. In their letter to the Federal Council, the business associations confirm their intention to play an active role in the swift and effective implementation of the new regulations, so that the improvements and simplifications can be achieved as early as 1 January 2023.
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Biotechnology
New breeding methods: preserving opportunities for the future
New processes such as genome editing make it possible to grow plants that can meet the challenges of the future, such as changing climate conditions and scarcity of resources. However, the legal framework is lagging behind scientific progress. There is an urgent need for political action in Switzerland as a centre of research.
While other countries are developing innovation-friendly regulations with a view to new plant breeding methods, Switzerland is still largely at a standstill. The reason: the legal uncertainty surrounding cultivation is blocking the use of new and more modern methods. The Council of States advocates differentiated regulations and wants to exclude genome-edited plants without foreign genetic information from the moratorium on genetic engineering. Following this important political signal, the National Council will have the opportunity in the coming spring session to do the job properly and pave the way for the development of future-proof, practical regulations on new breeding methods.
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Healthy nutrition
Strengthening resilience – thanks to vitamins and trace elements
Vitamins and trace elements are key to a strong immune system. A less than optimal supply of these substances can negatively affect the body’s resistance to infections. Particularly in light of the current Covid-19 pandemic, it is important to make clear recommendations.
Against this background, a panel of internationally recognised specialists from the University of Lausanne and ETH Zurich has published a scientific article on this topic. The article explains that the majority of the Swiss population is insufficiently supplied with important nutrients that are necessary for the optimal functioning of the immune system – especially among the older population aged 65 and over. Targeted dietary supplements can counteract this trend and support a well-functioning immune system. scienceindustries advocates specific and widely communicated recommendations for risk groups in the interests of long-term pandemic management and public health.
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scienceindustries is the Swiss business association for the chemical, pharmaceutical and life sciences industries. Its around 250 member companies generate more than 98% of their revenues abroad. As Switzerland's biggest export industry, this sector contributes 51.7% to total exports and almost 40% to private research expenses in Switzerland
Stephan Mumenthaler, Director
Pia Guggenbühl, Head of Public Affairs and Communication
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