Roche invests CHF 790M in Basel production as Novartis exits

Roche announced a CHF 790 million investment in a new production facility in Kleinbasel, bucking the trend of Novartis closing its last Basel plant. This signals divergent corporate strategies in the Swiss pharma sector, with Roche doubling down on Swiss manufacturing while Novartis consolidates elsewhere. The investment is a notable counter-cyclical move that may reflect differing views on Swiss cost competitiveness and supply-chain resilience.