New research released ahead of Pharmapack Europe (on January 22-23), the continent’s largest partnering event for medical device and packaging innovation, has ranked the Basel region as the most attractive destination in Europe for launching a new drug device company.

The study surveyed over 280 global pharmaceutical executives, asking them to identify the best location based on factors such as plant costs, access to skilled personnel, and ongoing operational expenses.

Basel emerged as the clear leader, selected by one-third of respondents, outperforming Lombardy (18%), Catalunya (17%), the UK’s "Golden Triangle" (15%), and Baden-Württemberg in Germany (14%). 

In a further boost to industry prospects in Switzerland and Germany were selected as the two regions best to build a new biomanufacturing facility. Basel was selected as the clear winner, despite higher labour costs, due to its ‘unrivalled access to qualified personal and quality of research firms and infrastructure’.

Stèfan Halbherr, CEO, InnoMedica a Swiss-based biotech and a Startup Market innovator, attending Pharmapack to meet new clinical and commercial-scale partners for its nanocarriers filling technology, said, “It’s not surprising to us at all. Switzerland has a tremendous history of pharmaceutical innovation and highly qualified personnel. However, what is often underappreciated outside the country is the access to precision engineering available here. With many new devices and innovations targeting smaller patient cohorts for precision and personalized medicine applications, we need a fresh approach to device design and manufacturing flexibility. Switzerland offers an exceptional foundation in manufacturing precision machinery."