Biotech & medical innovation
Cutting-edge healthcare: gene editing, surgical robots, AI drug discovery, personalized medicine. Smaller, more innovative companies than the boring broad healthcare fund. Big upside potential, much bigger swings.
Returns shown in USD (your base currency). Past performance is not a reliable guide to future results.
- Exposure to genuine medical breakthroughs
- Aging populations = structural demand for years
- Diversifies away from tech/AI thematic risk
- Many holdings have no profits yet
- Can drop 40%+ when biotech sentiment turns
- Single FDA decisions can swing the fund hard
About this fund
Tracks the iSTOXX FactSet Breakthrough Healthcare index. Holds smaller, more innovation-focused companies than mainstream healthcare ETFs. Includes biotech, gene therapy, surgical robotics, and diagnostic AI plays.
Available on Interactive Brokers
Low-cost access to Biotech & medical innovation and 10,000+ funds worldwide.
Frequently asked questions
Is HEAL.L accumulating or distributing?
iShares Healthcare Innovation UCITS ETF (HEAL.L) is an accumulating ETF, so its dividends are reinvested automatically inside the fund instead of paid out as cash. The value compounds in the share price, which keeps things simple since the dividends are reinvested for you instead of arriving as cash you would otherwise have to reinvest yourself.
What is the annual fee (TER) for HEAL.L?
HEAL.L has a total expense ratio (TER) of 0.40% per year. On a $10,000 holding that is roughly $40 a year, charged inside the fund rather than billed to you separately. A lower fee leaves more of the return compounding for you over time.
Can I buy HEAL.L on Interactive Brokers?
Yes. HEAL.L trades on LSE, USD and is available to investors worldwide through Interactive Brokers (IBKR). IBKR is the most popular way to buy UCITS ETFs because of its low FX conversion cost (around 0.03%) and low trading commissions.
What does HEAL.L invest in?
iShares Healthcare Innovation UCITS ETF (HEAL.L) tracks the iSTOXX FactSet Breakthrough Healthcare. Cutting-edge healthcare: gene editing, surgical robots, AI drug discovery, personalized medicine. You buy one fund and get the whole basket in a single trade.
Is HEAL.L a UCITS ETF, and where is it domiciled?
Yes, HEAL.L is a UCITS ETF domiciled in Ireland. For non-US investors, Irish-domiciled UCITS ETFs are usually preferred over US-domiciled ones: US dividend withholding tax is 15% under the tax treaty (versus 30% on US-domiciled funds for many non-US investors), and the holdings sit outside US estate tax.
How risky is HEAL.L?
On the TickerCompare 1 to 5 scale, HEAL.L is rated higher risk (5/5), based on how much its price has moved historically. Higher-risk funds can fall further in a downturn, so match the choice to your time horizon and how much volatility you can stomach.