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The article discusses efforts by developer Samih Sawiris to convert the town of Andermatt, Switzerland into a destination for affluent people. He is undertaking a $2 billion project there that will include luxury condominiums, chalets, and hotels, and an 18-hole golf course. Andermatt will face competition for wealthy travelers from the nearby towns of St. Moritz and Zermatt.

The article discusses layoffs arising from merger activity in the pharmaceuticals industry. Pfizer Inc. and Merck & Co. are among drug companies that have eliminated thousands of jobs following mergers. Consulting firm ZS Associates estimates the U.S. pharmaceutical business has eliminated 40% of its sales staff since 2006.

The article discusses efforts by drug companies to develop treatments for age-related muscle wasting called sarcopenia. Novartis AG, Sanofi, and Eli Lilly & Co. are all developing separate drugs that work by inhibiting myostatin, a protein that limits muscle growth. Pioneering work in the field was done by molecular biologist Se-Jin Lee.

The article states pharmaceutical companies GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and Novartis unveiled on April 22, 2014 a series of transactions worth over 20 billion dollars that will allow Novartis to focus on pharmaceuticals, generics, and eye care without reducing revenue while GSK will focus more on vaccines and consumer drugs.

The article discusses a warning from the European Medicines Agency, a drug regulator, that the cancer drug Herceptin from Roche Holding AG which had been stolen and tampered with has been reintroduced into the European market as of 2014.

The article looks at pharmaceutical company Novartis AG as of April 2014, reporting the company has made changes including the replacement of three top executives in its Japan division, Novartis Pharma K.K., in response to scandals related to clinical studies and conflicts of interest.

The article reports that a Serelaxin, a heart-failure drug by pharmaceutical company Novartis AG, was not recommended for approval following a negative medical review by the the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as of March 26, 2014, and includes information on the drug's review in Europe.

The article focuses on Joerg Reinhardt, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of pharmaceutical industry company Novartis AG, who states that the firm must continue to invest in research to create drugs which offer improved performance over generic drugs.

The article discusses health care company Roche Holding AG's pay off of the bulk of its debt from its buyout of biotechnology corporation Genentech, focusing on the departure of Roche chairman Franz Humer, possible acquisitions, and research and development (R&D) efforts.

The article discusses diversification efforts by Swiss pharmaceutical company Novartis AG since former chairman Daniel Vasella left the company as of February 2014, with topics including the company's divestiture plans, Vasella's exit package from Novartis, and investor attitudes.

The article discusses the February 17, 2014 hijacking of Flight ET702 of the airline Ethiopian Airlines by the co-pilot of the flight Haile-Medhin Abera Tegegn, reporting that Tegegn forced the plane to land in Switzerland as opposed to Italy in an attempt to seek asylum.

The article discusses a fire on December 29, 2013 that destroyed a workshop at watchmaker Swatch Group AG's parts-manufacturing subsidiary ETA Manufature Horlogère in Grenchen, Switzerland.

Business-related news briefs are presented for October 18, 2013 including Hulu video-streaming service's selection of a chief executive officer, Roche Holding AG's increased sales attributed to its cancer drugs, and the sale of Boulevard Brewing to Belgian beer brewer Duval Moortgat.

The article reports that the pharmaceutical industry company Roche Holding AG plans to spend $880 million at four of its facilities to increase production of biologic therapies, drugs derived from living organisms.

The article reports that Switzerland's Canton of Ticino approved an initiative begun by former journalist Giorgio Ghiringhelli to outlaw burqas, which are religious garments worn by some Muslim women.

The article discusses a proposed ban on clothes that conceal faces in public, such as the burqas worn by some Muslim women, in the southern Swiss canton of Ticino, focusing on regulations concerning the integration of foreigners into European countries as of September 2013.

The article presents news briefs as of September 18, 2013 which involve the appointment of the executive Nancy Gibbs as the managing editor of the magazine "Time," the profits of the fashion house Prada SpA, and the investment of the company Hummingbird LLC in the retailer Aeropostale Inc.

The article discusses a July 26, 2013 attack on a prison in the the Swiss canton on Vaud that enabled the escape of jewel thief Milan Poparic, a member of the so-called "Pink Panther" gang of thieves, as well as convicted kidnapper and money-launderer Adrian Albrecht.

The article reports that drug company Novartis AG has scaled back the $77 million severance package of former chairman Daniel Vasella following adverse publicity about it, and discusses the company's upwardly-revised profit forecast for 2013.

The article reports that pharmaceutical company Roche Holding AG will stop a late-stage trial of its aleglitazar diabetes drug after some trial participants suffered heart failure and kidney impairment.

The article examines the use of solar technology in powering vehicles like boats, planes and automobiles in 2013 after the launch of a Swiss solar-powered boat that will cross the Atlantic ocean, discussing the energy efficiency of solar-powered transportation.

The article looks at the real estate market in Zurich, Switzerland, as of April 2013, reporting that sales of luxury residences have slowed and discussing luxury high-rise condominium developments in the city built by real estate developers Mobimo Holding AG and PSP Swiss Property.

The article presents business-related news briefs on several topics including plans by Indian textile producer Alok Industries to open a textile mill in the U.S., a quarterly earnings report from drug company Roche Holding AG, and a recall of 3.4 million cars by several Japanese automobile producers including Toyota Motor Corp.

The article reports that Credit Suisse AG and other Swiss banks are adopting policies requiring German account-holders to verify that they are in compliance with German tax laws and discusses the international effort to stop tax evasion through the use of Swiss and other overseas banks.

The article reports that drug manufacturer Roche Holding AG will accede to long-standing requests to make data from clinical trials for its Tamiflu influenza treatment available to the nonprofit Cochrane Collaboration for evaluation.

The article discusses the planned resignation of Franz Humer from his role as chairman of the pharmaceutical company Roche Holding AG in 2014.

The article profiles Daniel Vasella, founder and chairman of pharmaceutical and health care company Novartis, as he plans to retires in 2013, discussing shareholders' concerns about what Vasella's proposed successor Joerg Reinhardt will do with his share of stocks.

The article presents an interview with chief executive office (CEO) Joseph Jimenez of drug maker Novartis AG that touches on several topics including changes he has made at Novartis since becoming CEO in 2010, his belief that in the future drug companies will be compensated based on patient outcomes, and industry expenditures on research and development.

The article examines the increased focus on Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (Finma) regulator Mark Branson, a former chief executive of bank UBS AG's Japanese unit between 2006-2008 when the group allegedly falsified interest rates related to the London interbank offered rate (Libor).

The article offers corporate news briefs as of November 7, 2012, on companies including pharmaceutical firm Novartis AG, steel company Tata Steel Ltd., and mining company BHP Billiton Ltd.

The article reports that drug manufacturer Glaxosmithkline PLC, which in 2012 was fined $3 billion for withholding safety data from U.S. regulators and other misdeeds, announced it would give researchers complete access to data from its clinical trials.

The article discusses separate studies by drug company Roche Holding AG and the National Cancer Institute in France that together suggest one year may be the optimal treatment period for breast-cancer patients taking the drug Herceptin.

The article offers business news briefs as of September 6, 2012, on companies including retailer Dollar General Corp., pharmaceutical company Roche Holding AG, and manufacturing conglomerate 3M Co.

The article looks at the Swiss economy as of September 2012, reporting on its second-quarter 2012 contraction and the effects of the European economic crisis on Switzerland's economic prospects.

The article reports that several Swiss banks including HSBC Holdings PLC and Credit Suisse Group AG have provided the U.S. government with the names of thousands of employees in response to pressure from the U.S. for help in thwarting tax evaders, and notes the demoralizing impact the disclosure has had on bank employees.

The article presents business-related news briefs on several topics including video-streaming-and-rental firm Netflix Inc.'s planned expansion into Scandinavia, investment by car maker Ford Motor Co. in hybrid vehicles, and a quarterly earnings report from Chinese Internet company Tencent Holdings Ltd.

The article reports on pharmaceutical company Roche Holding AG's second quarter 2012 financial performance and mentions the effect of the closure of its laboratories in Nutley, New Jersey.

The article reports that on July 17, 2012 the European Food Safety Authority gave chocolate producer Barry Callebaut AG permission to claim cocoa flavanols found in dark chocolate can benefit blood circulation. If the European Commission grants similar approval, Barry along with other manufacturers including Kraft Foods Inc. will be able to cite that benefit when marketing their chocolate products.

The article reports that a court in Switzerland ruled Internet-search company Google Inc. can continue offering its "Street View" mapping service in that country without being required to obscure faces and license plates that it incidentally captures.

The article states that Swiss firm Roche Holding AG was pursuing the acquisition of U.S. gene-sequencing company Illumina Inc. as of April 12, 2012.

The article states that Swiss firm Roche Holding AG increased its offer to purchase gene-sequencing company Illumina Inc. to $51 per share on March 29, 2012.

The article presents business-related news briefs on several topics including an effort by drug company Roche Holding AG to acquire gene-sequencing firm Illumina Inc., plans by housewares retailer IKEA to enter the Indonesian market, and a revised financial forecast from airline EasyJet PLC.

The article discusses the theft in Western Europe of cancer drugs from various pharmaceutical firms including Roche Holding AG, Eli Lilly & Co., and Johnson & Johnson. Domenico Di Giorgio of Italy's Italian Medicines Agency says organized crime figures are responsible. He cited the Camorra crime syndicate as well as crime networks in Eastern Europe.

The article discusses an emphasis by large drug companies on narrowing the focus of their businesses. On April 22, 2014 Novartis AG said it would sell its animal-drug operations and its vaccine unit to industry counterparts Eli Lilly & Co. and GlaxoSmithKline PLC, respectively. Driving the trend are a decline in the number of significant drugs set to lose patent protection, and a failure of large, diversified companies to produce blockbuster drugs.

The article reports that on November 24, 2013 voters in Switzerland overwhelmingly rejected an initiative that would have capped chief executives' salaries at no more than twelve times that of a firm's lowest-paid employee. Swiss government official Johann Schneider-Ammann said the move preserved Switzerland's appeal as a place to do business. Initiative supporter David Roth observed that the vote helped publicize the issue of fair pay.

News briefs are presented related to earnings reports as of April 25, 2013 for companies including social games firm Zynga Inc., drug manufacturer Novartis AG, and electronics company LG Electronics Inc.

The article discusses the August 29, 2013 resignation of board chairman Josef Ackermann from insurance company Zurich International Group. Ackermann's departure came days after the suicide of the firm's chief financial officer, Pierre Waulthier, whose according to his widow had been placed under considerable stress by Ackermann, who denies he was a factor in the man's death.