Healthcare & pharma shares, explained
Healthcare companies make the medicines, devices and services people need whether the economy is booming or not, which is why the sector is often called 'defensive'.
But it carries risks the everyday shopper never sees: a drug can fail its trials, a patent eventually expires and opens the door to cheaper copies, and regulators hold real power over prices. Each name below links to a full plain-English explainer.
Why should I care?
Healthcare is often called defensive because people need medicine in any economy - but it carries risks a shopper never sees, like failed drug trials and expiring patents, and knowing them helps you judge whether 'safe' really is safe.
How this list is put together
Every company in the Almanac that reports itself in the Healthcare sector, listed A to Z. The sector label is the company's own classification, not ours.
Of the 74 names here, 45 currently pay a dividend
61% pay one39% do not
74 names · each links to its full, plain-English explainer.