Private markets: Biotech funds point to the future
Healthcare has had a year like no other for at least two reasons. The first is obvious. The second is all about investment.
In April, for example, healthcare ETFs saw their highest level of inflows – $7.3 billion at the global level. And although this amounted to just $0.5 billion in Europe, even that was a regional record. BlackRock, which published the numbers, said the interest in medical device production and in pharmaceutical innovation had offered investors two rationales for investing in the sector.
At Goldman Sachs Asset Management (GSAM), Luke Barrs – a portfolio management leader – said that the pandemic had “supercharged an existing secular trend and pushed healthcare right to the top of governments’ and societies’ priorities”. He was speaking as GSAM launched a healthcare public equity fund.
Biotechnology – in the spotlight thanks to Covid-19 – surpasses even digital in terms of its scope to transform this century. Much of its funding comes from private equity, where investors face ethical as well as financial dilemmas. Alex Rolandi reports.
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. Americans will soon have access to a second COVID-19 vaccine.
Stephen Hahn, commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, granted emergency authorization Friday to a vaccine made by Moderna, a week after giving similar clearance to one made by Pfizer and its German collaborator, BioNTech.
His is authorizing rather than approving the vaccine, because longer-term research is needed to meet the full standards for approval, which officials don t want to wait for during the public health emergency.
The speedy path to authorization was possible because the agency “cut through regulatory red tape,” Hahn said at a Friday night press conference. We worked quickly based on the urgency of this global pandemic . we have not cut corners.
US gets more help in raging battle against COVID-19 as FDA authorizes Moderna vaccine, the second allowed for emergency use Karen Weintraub, USA TODAY
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CAMBRIDGE, Mass. Americans will soon have access to a second COVID-19 vaccine.
Stephen Hahn, commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, granted emergency authorization Friday to a vaccine made by Moderna, a week after giving similar clearance to one made by Pfizer and its German collaborator, BioNTech.
His is authorizing rather than approving the vaccine, because longer-term research is needed to meet the full standards for approval, which officials don t want to wait for during the public health emergency.
December 18, 2020
With the exchange traded funds industry on pace for another year of record-breaking asset-gathering, plenty of smaller issuers are joining the party, a trend that’s buoyed by investors’ affinity for thematic ETFs.
The
ROBO Global Healthcare Technology and Innovation ETF (HTEC)is capitalizing on those trends as it recently topped $100 million in assets under management, an impressive run for an ETF that only came to market in June 2019.
“After closely monitoring the healthcare space for five years as part of our flagship index, it was clear that technological advancements would be reshaping this sector for decades to come,” said Travis Briggs, CEO of ROBO Global. “It was a natural extension for us to launch a healthcare technology index designed to capture this long-term growth opportunity.”