The Swiss biotech sector proved robust growth in 2023. Revenues in 2023 increased by CHF500m to CHF7.3bn. Capital investment grew to CHF2bn - just betweeen 2021 (CHF3.4bn) and 2022 (CHF1.3bn).

The Swiss Biotech Report 2024 commissioned by the Swiss Biotech Association and co-published with EY on the occasion of the Swiss Biotech Day demonstrates a clear post-pandemic growth of the Swiss biotech sector. With an annual revenue of CHF7.3bn, Swiss biotechs hit new records, even higher than during the pandemic (2021: CHF6.7bn; 2022: CHF6.8bn). According to the authors of the report on the 2023 industry performance indicators, this is partly due to "significant collaboration and licensing agreements" in which Swiss biotech companies successfully collaborated with Big Pharma. On the other hand, product sales were boosted by a record number of approvals by Swissmedic, EMA, FDA and other regulatory authorities across the globe. These approvals included ground-breaking novel therapies, for example from CRISPR Therapeutics AG, Santhera Pharmaceuticals Holding, Idorsia Pharmaceuticals Ltd, and Basilea Pharmaceutica AG.

In a difficult global financing environment, Oculis SA and MoonLake Immunotherapeutics AG, recorded the largest capital inflows of public Swiss companies: Ophthalmic diseases specialist Oculis SA secured US$144m through a SPAC transaction with follow-on financing on Nasdaq. MoonLake Immunotherapeutics AG, which had its Nasdaq debut in April 2022 through a SPAC merger, baged a US$415m follow-on financing. While the mood on the stock markets has remained poor for the industry since the end of the pandemic, some privately financed biotech companies tapped into good sources of financing in 2023: CNS specialist Noema Pharma AG got CHF103m through a Series B financing, cancer and reverse fibrosis drug developer Alentis Therapeutics AG secured CHF94m, healthy aging biotech Rejuveron Life Sciences AG cashed in CHF67m, Swiss-Italian MVA specialist Nouscom AG raised CHF 65m and gene therapy platform specialist NewBiologix SA has an inflow of CHF45m.

Frederik Schmachtenberg (EY) co-author of the Swiss Biotech Report pointed out that the average of these private financing rounds had increased by around 40% compared to previous year. Overall, the total investment amount in private and listed companies in 2023 showed that the ups and downs of the coronavirus years and the sharp dip in 2022 have thus been overcome. There is more hope for the future, even if framework conditions such as any interest rate decisions by the central banks are currently highly unpredictable.

Michael Altorfer, President of the Swiss Biotechnology Association, emphasised the high export share of the Swiss life sciences and biotech industry. "Switzerland helps the world with its products, but we are also helped by the global community," said Altorfer. Internationalisation would therefore be a fundamental topic for this industry and Switzerland, as evidenced by the high level of international interest in Swiss Biotech Day. Over 1,000 participants from outside Switzerland accounted for almost half of the total of 2,500 registrations. Several cluster organisations from Germany - Rhineland-Palatinate, Munich/Bavaria and Saxony/Saxony-Anhalt - have also set up international delegations in the conference centre's "Global Village" to promote their region and cross-border cooperation with Switzerland.

All companies represented at the Swiss Biotech Day and BIO-Europe show in the field of RNA drugs, diagnostics, services & R&D laboratory hardware and materials are hereby invited to send their URL, geodata and contact details (incl address) for a story "RNA across Europe" in the nextEuropean Biotechnology Magazine toa.macht(at)biocom.deby Tuesday, 7 May. It is planned to print a map of European RNA players in the next issue (publication date 23 May 2024, advertising deadline 10 May 2024) and to publish an interactive map of all RNA players online ateuropean-biotechnology.com. Make your expertise visible and put your company on the map!

Please meet us at Swiss Biotech Day at Booth#8Aor drop an email tomarketing(at)biocom.de.

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Swiss Biotech Report reporting record turnover - European Biotechnology News