TRUST WATCH

WHAT IS IT?

THE Biotech Growth Trust, managed by Orbimed, invests in the biotechnology industry.

Orbimed is a healthcare investment specialist managing more than £9bn of savers’ money.

WHAT DOES THE MANAGER INVEST IN?

The portfolio features firms such as Vertex Pharmaceuticals, which funds research into new types of medicines, Neurocrine, which treats patients with neurological conditions such as Parkinson’s, and cancer-focused Celgene.

WHAT DO THE EXPERTS LIKE?

Ben Yearsley, of Shore Financial Planning, notes that US regulators are becoming increasingly accommodating to the biotech sector. Last year, 59 new drugs were approved – the most ever.

China is also beginning to spend more and more on biotechnology and, with such a large population, it could give the industry a massive boost.

ANY DOWNSIDES?

It’s relatively high risk as not all the research will come good.

There has been some volatility in biotech markets this year, as US elections are coming round and both parties are campaigning to reduce drug prices, Yearsley says.