ZURICH, Aug 11 (Reuters) - The Swiss government is due

to meet this week with pharmaceuticals firms that U.S. President

Donald Trump has asked to lower their prices, as Switzerland

seeks to negotiate down a new 39% tariff on its exports, two

sources have told Reuters.

Economy Minister Guy Parmelin and Health Minister Elizabeth

Baume-Schneider will meet with executives from Roche and

Novartis, according to two people familiar with the

matter, who said other companies may also take part.

Roche and Novartis did not respond to a request for comment.

A spokesperson for the health minister confirmed the meeting

but declined to give any details or confirm the participants.

Although pharmaceuticals are not included in the 39% U.S.

tariffs which came into effect on Swiss imports last week, the

industry is concerned by the outcome of the U.S. Section 232

national security investigation into the sector. This could

result in tariffs on drug imports eventually reaching 250%.

The results of the review are expected in the next few

weeks.

The talks could also be about encouraging pharmaceuticals

companies to invest more in the United States, said a person

familiar with the matter, to reduce Switzerland's trade surplus

with the U.S. and help reduce the 39% tariff, which covers

exports including Swiss watches and chocolate.

Trump has been pushing pharmaceuticals companies to reduce

the price of their drugs in the United States, which could make

drugmakers increase their prices in Europe to compensate.

Such a move could be a concern for the Swiss health

ministry, which agrees prices with pharmaceuticals companies, by

making drugs in Switzerland more expensive, although drugs

prices in Switzerland are already slightly higher compared with

other European countries.

The Swiss government earlier said that Helene Budliger

Artieda, its chief negotiator and head of the State Secretariat

of Economic Affairs (SECO), had returned from Washington, but

tariff discussions with the U.S. were continuing.

Pharmaceuticals are by far the most important Swiss export

sector to the United States, with shipments worth 32.75 billion

Swiss Francs, making up half of Swiss exports there last year.

If the 39% tariff was extended to cover pharmaceuticals,

Swiss economic output could fall by more than 1%, according to

one estimate.

Washington's concerns have been driven by its 38.7 billion

franc trade deficit with Switzerland, with pharma by far the

biggest contributor.

Swiss companies, including pharma, have already pledged to

increase their spending in the United States to avoid tariffs.

In April Novartis said it plans to spend $23 billion to

build and expand 10 facilities in the U.S. while Roche, unveiled

plans to invest $50 billion over the next five years, creating

more than 12,000 new jobs.