In the past few years, the pharmaceutical industry has grown to become one of the most important pillars and the driver of the regional economy in various parts of Switzerland. The study by BAK Economics AG takes the example of biotech company Biogen, which is investing CHF 1.5 bn in the construction of a state-of-the-art biopharmaceutical production plant in Luterbach, to illustrate the kind of impact these developments are having. The production plant in the canton of Solothurn will lead directly to the creation of around 600 new jobs. Besides 400 jobs in biopharmaceutical production, an additional 200 jobs will be created in the outsourced operations of building maintenance, cleaning and catering. On the basis of model calculations, BAK assumes that the Biogen operation will add an extra growth potential of 1.5-2.0 percent of cantonal GDP in 2019.
