U.S. and Switzerland working on facilitating pharma trade – U.S. ambassador

ZURICH (Reuters) – The United States and Switzerland can move towards free trade between their countries with sectoral deals and they are working on facilitating business in the pharmaceutical sector, the U.S. ambassador to Switzerland told the Tages Anzeiger newspaper.

Scott Miller said that in the last round of trade negotiations between the two countries, Switzerland was not prepared to open its agricultural market for U.S. products.

Talks on a free trade agreement between the two countries have stalled.

But Miller said that with the United States now the no. 1 export market for Switzerland, “we can take steps towards free trade by concluding sectoral agreements.”

“With regard to the pharmaceutical industry, we are working on facilitating trade,” he said in comments published on Saturday.

Switzerland is home to pharma giants Novartis and Roche.

(Writing by Paul Carrel; editing by Clelia Oziel)