Swiss pharmaceutical firms Novartis and Lonza separately deepened their push into so-called biosimilars, betting cheaper copies of name-brand drugs will make headway among cost-conscious governments.

A run of disappointing drug trials at Roche has left analysts suggesting the view from its new 41-storey office building in Basel, Switzerland, has become more clouded, with little chance of management now upgrading its growth forecast next week, when it reports first-half earnings.