Biotech ETFs Get More Refined With Debut Of Cancer Immunotherapy Fund

Last year, a new crop of biotechnology exchanged-traded funds brought refined, laser-like focus to the fast-growing market segment.

Biotech ETFs making their debuts in late 2014 included funds devoted exclusively to companies with products in specific stages of clinical trials or only to those companies that have received at least one FDA approval.

New Biotech ETF Joins Growing List

Add the Loncar Cancer Immunotherapy ETF (NASDAQ: CNCR) to the list of new, focused biotech ETFs. The Loncar Cancer Immunotherapy ETF, which debuted Wednesday, is the first ETF exclusively devoted to cancer immunotherapy.

Exchange Traded Concepts, LLC (ETC), Loncar Investments, ISE ETF Ventures and Amplify Development LLC partnered to bring the Loncar Cancer Immunotherapy ETF to market.

The new ETF is the brainchild of Brad Loncar, a Kansas-based private investor that manages a family fund. On his blog, Loncar said the fund usually holds about 40 stocks, about half of which are biotech and healthcare names.

The Index

In April, Loncar launched the Loncar Cancer Immunotherapy Index (LCINDX), the first dedicated cancer immunotherapy benchmark. That index is an equal-weighted index of 25 top immunotherapy companies rebalanced and reconstituted on a semi-annual basis, according to Loncar. The index is rebalanced on a semiannual basis.

That index serves as the benchmark for the Loncar Cancer Immunotherapy ETF; the index currently holds 30 stocks, according to issuer data. Seven of those stocks are considered large-cap healthcare names, such as Bristol-Myers Squibb Co (NYSE:BMY) and Dow component Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK), while the other 23 components are biotech growth stocks.

CNCR Holdings

CNCR's top 10 holdings include:

Incyte Corporation (NASDAQ:INCY)
Celgene Corporation (NASDAQ:CELG)
Dow component Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE)
Amgen, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMGN)

Immunotherapy is changing the way many cancers are being treated, said Loncar in a statement.

This innovative field within biotechnology is expected to become the foundational treatment for cancer over the next ten years. We think it is important to give investors a benchmark to track the progress of this growing biotechnology sector, which over time will likely continue to have a positive impact on society.

CNCR's annual expense ratio is 0.79 percent, or $79 per $10,000 invested.

Image Credit: Public Domain