8INDIAREVIEWDECEMBER, 2025INDIA, SWITZERLAND EXPLORE PHARMA & BIOTECH COLLABORATIONIndia's Union Commerce and Industry Minister, Piyush Goyal, had a discussion with the Swiss Economic Affairs State Secretary, Helene Budliger Artieda, to look into a closer partnership between India and Switzerland in R&D and new investment opportunities for Swiss pharma-ceutical companies in India's rapidly developing healthcare sector.Artieda is accompanying a delegation of Swiss pharma and biotech representatives on her business trip. India and Switzerland strengthen India Switzerland pharma collaboration and biotech partnership India Switzerland, following a Piyush Goyal Switzerland meeting to enhance India pharma biotech ties, Swiss economic affairs India, India-Switzerland trade, and biotech cooperation international.In a post on X, Ghoyal stated, "Co-chaired a meeting with @SECO_StateSec Helene Budliger Artieda with Swiss pharma and biotech companies. Discussions focused on avenues of further cooperation in R&D and expanding investment opportunities for Swiss pharma companies to leverage India's robust healthcare sector".He added, "Both sides have discussed the progress made under the India-EFTA Trade & Economic Partnership Agreement (TEPA) with an aim to further enhance collaboration across key sectors for mutual growth".At the moment, the two nations are negotiating an India-EFTA TEPA agreement, so this meeting proved to be a very good opportunity for both India and Switzerland to not only boost their economic links through trade but also attract innovation-related investments in the production and quality healthcare handling.This meeting was an unmistakable signal of India's intention to build up strategic partnerships with other leading global players in the fields of pharmaceuticals and biotechnology.This week Goyal got the chance to meet and talk with the key players in the Indian pharmaceutical sector. He pointed out ways to achieve growth in the industry, ease regulatory reforms, and raise exports.The meeting was very interactive and through a social media post he indicated that the discussion was one of the steps towards making India a global powerhouse in the pharmaceutical industry. IMRRecently, the Union Ministry of Commerce reported that representatives from the UAE and India discussed topics to help improve trade relations, such as market access, sharing of data, the issuance of gold import quotas, anti-dumping actions, and services as part of the initial meetings held by the Joint Committee established by the CEPA (Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement) between the two countries.The statement read, "The two sides conducted a comprehensive review of progress under CEPA, and detailed discussions were held on market access issues, data sharing, allocation of Gold TRQ (tariff rate quota), anti-dumping matters, services, Rules of Origin, and BIS licensing".Among other things, during the meeting, the Indian Government informed the UAE that gold tariff rates had recently been determined by a transparent, competitive bidding process through the allocations of Gold Tariff Rate Quotas (TRQs).The Indian and UAE representatives also discussed expanding regulatory collaboration in respect of pharmaceuticals, resolving issues associated with Certificates of Origin, and facilitating the expeditious signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Technical Requirements and Food Safety between the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority of India (APEDA) and the UAE Ministry of Climate Change and Environment.The value of two-way trade between the two countries exceeded US$100 billion in 2024-25, a 19.6% increase from the previous year.Both India and the UAE have made a commitment to increase their total volume of trade, excluding oil and precious metals, to US$100 billion by 2030, demonstrating their continuing commitment to becoming stronger economic partners. IMRTOP STORIESINDIA, UAE DISCUSS MARKET ACCESS, DATA SHARING & FTA PROGRESS
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