ZURICH, Aug 14 (Reuters) - Swiss ministers have met with

senior executives of pharmaceutical companies Roche and

Novartis to discuss the outlook for the sector under

current U.S. trade policy, the government said on Thursday.

President Donald Trump has imposed U.S. import tariffs of

39% on Swiss goods, one of the highest rates worldwide, though

pharmaceutical firms have so far been spared the duties.

The Trump administration is carrying out a probe into

pharmaceutical imports, after which tariffs could follow.

Swiss Interior Minister Elisabeth Baume-Schneider and

Economy Minister Guy Parmelin met on Thursday morning with Roche

Chairman Severin Schwan and Patrick Horber, head of the

international unit for Novartis, the government said.

"The participants of the meeting exchanged their views on

the current situation in the pharmaceutical industry against the

backdrop of discussions about the tariffs imposed by the United

States," the Interior Ministry said in a statement.

What was discussed is confidential, the ministry said,

noting that the ministers were organising a roundtable

discussion with the pharmaceutical industry in September.

(Writing by Dave Graham. Additional reporting by Ariane Luthi.

Editing by Mark Potter)