Anger over austerity targets: Roche is putting investments in Germany to the test

Frankfurt/Main. The Swiss pharmaceutical company Roche is putting all investments in Germany to the test due to anger over the federal government's austerity measures in the healthcare system. “We have put all future investment decisions in Germany on hold for now,” said Roche Germany boss Daniel Steiners to “Welt” (Monday). “For the pharmaceutical sector, I can say that politics has recently destroyed a lot of trust.”

Steiners called for reliable framework conditions. With regard to the law to stabilize health insurance contributions (GKV), he said: “Instead of addressing the structural problems of the GKV, politicians are focusing on short-term savings and additional burdens for the industry.” This means you lose twice: “The actual problem is not solved, because experience shows that without real structural reforms, such savings evaporate and you are quickly faced with the same deficit again.”

The news is a setback for the federal government, which is promoting Germany as a location to companies at an investor summit in Berlin today with Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU).

Steiners also praised the USA for its industrial policy. "The USA has recognized how important it is to strengthen our industry and is now doing everything to make it as easy and as attractive as possible for companies to invest there. Above all, Europe should learn to make an effort again," demanded the manager. Roche employs more than 18,000 people in Germany and is significantly expanding its location in Penzberg, Bavaria.

The federal government's austerity plans have caused considerable anger in the pharmaceutical industry. The companies criticize the fact that the federal government has set out to strengthen the pharmaceutical industry in the coalition agreement, but at the same time is setting stricter savings targets for the industry. They criticize the increase in the manufacturer's discount that drug manufacturers have to grant health insurance companies.

The US group Eli Lilly announced in the summer that it would halve planned investments of 2.5 billion euros in Rhineland-Palatinate. And Boehringer Ingelheim completely canceled planned expenditure of 900 million euros - also with reference to the savings targets. The US pharmaceutical company Pfizer had also put investments in Germany to the test out of anger over politics.