Roche is one of the first companies to develop a rapid test for the detection of the corona virus. But that won’t be big business, Roche boss Severin Schwan said on Thursday at the media discussion on the results. “We give the test for free, because viruses spread exponentially, so you can not negotiate prices with clinics for long,” said Schwan.
“You can forget about this from the business side,” says Schwan, “but it helps us enormously with our reputation, we build a lot of goodwill with customers and authorities,” he explains. “Customers and government officials still speak to me today when we quickly helped with tests during the Sars crisis.”
Severin Schwan is one of the few CEOs who also takes a clear position on political issues. He gives a clear rejection of the limitation initiative, which requires the termination of the free movement agreement with the EU. “For us, the free movement of people is crucial,” said Schwan. “It is completely illusory to want to cover the need for researchers in a small country like Switzerland.” More than 50 percent of the employees from research and development who work in Switzerland are foreigners.
Adopting the initiative would have a “significant” impact, Schwan warned. The break with the EU threatens. The regulation of quotas for immigration was not a solution. The influx of foreigners from non-EU countries, so-called third countries, is already regulated today with quotas. “We have experience with this system, it doesn’t work,” says Schwan.
Created: Jan 30 2020, 10:37 AM
–
