For many Indians, Switzerland first came alive through Bollywood. From Sangam (1964) to Yash Chopra classics like Chandni and Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995), its snow-capped Alps became synonymous with romance for generations of moviegoers. Yash Chopra’s enduring influence is reflected in Interlaken, where a memorial honours the filmmaker, while a nearby lake is popularly known as “Yash Chopra Lake.”
Beyond the silver screen, however, lies one of the world’s most innovation-driven economies. Renowned for its luxury watches, precision engineering, banking, and tourism, Switzerland is also a global leader in life sciences. The pharmaceutical industry is the country’s largest export sector, with chemical and pharmaceutical products accounting for more than half of Switzerland’s goods exports. As India–Switzerland ties have evolved from cultural connections to strategic collaboration, pharmaceuticals and Global Capability Centres (GCCs) have emerged as key pillars of the modern partnership.
From Cultural Ties to Strategic Collaboration
India and Switzerland established diplomatic relations in 1948, laying the foundation for decades of economic cooperation. Over the years, the relationship expanded from tourism into trade, investment, education, technology, and scientific collaboration. A major milestone came with the signing of the India–EFTA Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement (TEPA) in 2024, which is expected to deepen investment flows and strengthen collaboration across high-value sectors, including life sciences. Today, Switzerland is among India’s significant European investment partners, while India has emerged as an increasingly important destination for Swiss companies seeking technology, research, and innovation capabilities.
Swiss Pharma Giants Building Global Capabilities
Novartis – Hyderabad
Home to one of the largest pharmaceutical GCCs in India, the Novartis Corporate Center supports global operations spanning digital transformation, AI, data science, clinical development, finance, enterprise technology, and business services.
Roche – Bengaluru
Roche Services & Solutions India serves as a strategic capability centre, delivering analytics, digital platforms, regulatory support, commercial operations, and technology solutions that support Roche’s global healthcare business.
Sandoz – Hyderabad
Following its spin-off from Novartis, Sandoz has continued to strengthen its India operations, supporting enterprise functions, digital capabilities, regulatory activities, and commercial services for its global generics and biosimilars business.
Lonza – Hyderabad
Swiss biopharma leader Lonza has expanded its presence in India through digital and scientific operations that support biopharmaceutical manufacturing, research, analytics, and enterprise functions.
Ferring Pharmaceuticals – Hyderabad & Mumbai
Ferring Pharmaceuticals has strengthened its India presence through operations spanning Hyderabad and Mumbai, supporting clinical research, medical affairs, regulatory activities, commercial functions, and shared business services. The company continues to leverage India’s scientific talent to support its global mission across reproductive medicine, gastroenterology, and specialty biopharmaceuticals.
Why the Indo-Swiss Pharma Partnership Works
| Switzerland Contributes | India Contributes |
| World-leading pharmaceutical research and innovation | Deep pool of STEM talent, digital engineers, and life sciences professionals |
| Drug discovery, biologics, diagnostics, and advanced therapeutics | AI, data science, cloud engineering, automation, and clinical data management |
| Robust intellectual property framework and globally recognized regulatory standards | Scalable GCCs supporting global R&D, IT, finance, HR, and commercial operations |
| High-value innovation and scientific excellence | Cost-efficient execution with enterprise-scale delivery capabilities |
| Headquarters of Roche, Novartis, Lonza, Sandoz, and Ferring Pharmaceuticals | Strategic capability centres enabling global product development and enterprise operations |
| Advanced biotech clusters and life sciences ecosystem | Rapidly expanding ecosystem for digital health, analytics, and AI-enabled healthcare |
The Next Chapter
The Indo-Swiss relationship has come a long way from the days when Switzerland was known to millions of Indians primarily through Bollywood. Today, the partnership is increasingly defined by scientific collaboration, digital innovation, and enterprise transformation. As Swiss pharmaceutical companies continue to expand their GCC footprint in India, they are leveraging the country’s talent to accelerate drug discovery, digital health, analytics, and global business operations. What began as a cultural connection has evolved into a strategic innovation corridor—one where Swiss scientific excellence meets India’s technology capabilities to help shape the future of global healthcare.
