Investment objective & strategy
As of Jan. 27, 2026 · prospectusObjective. VanEck Pharmaceutical ETF (the Fund) seeks to replicate as closely as possible, before fees and expenses, the price and yield performance of the MVIS US Listed Pharmaceutical 25 Index (the Pharmaceutical Index or the Index).
Strategy. The Fund normally invests at least 80% of its total assets in securities that comprise the Funds benchmark index. For purposes of this policy, the term assets means net assets plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes. The Pharmaceutical Index includes common stocks and depositary receipts of U.S. exchange-listed companies in the pharmaceutical industry. Such companies may include medium-capitalization companies and foreign companies that are listed on a U.S. exchange. To be initially eligible for the Pharmaceutical Index, companies must generate at least 50% of their revenues from pharmaceuticals. Pharmaceuticals include companies engaged primarily in research (including research contractors) and development as well as production, marketing and sales of pharmaceuticals (excluding pharmacies). Of the largest 50 stocks in … The Fund normally invests at least 80% of its total assets in securities that comprise the Funds benchmark index. For purposes of this policy, the term assets means net assets plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes. The Pharmaceutical Index includes common stocks and depositary receipts of U.S. exchange-listed companies in the pharmaceutical industry. Such companies may include medium-capitalization companies and foreign companies that are listed on a U.S. exchange. To be initially eligible for the Pharmaceutical Index, companies must generate at least 50% of their revenues from pharmaceuticals. Pharmaceuticals include companies engaged primarily in research (including research contractors) and development as well as production, marketing and sales of pharmaceuticals (excluding pharmacies). Of the largest 50 stocks in the pharmaceutical industry by full market capitalization, the top 25 by free-float market capitalization (i.e., includes only shares that are readily available for trading in the market) and three month average daily trading volume are included in the Pharmaceutical Index. As of December 31, 2025, the Pharmaceutical Index included 25 securities of companies with a market capitalization range of between approximately $1.86 billion and $1.01 trillion and a weighted average market capitalization of $357.96 billion. These amounts are subject to change. The Funds 80% investment policy is non-fundamental and may be changed without shareholder approval upon 60 days prior written notice to shareholders. The Fund, using a passive or indexing investment approach, attempts to approximate the investment performance of the Pharmaceutical Index by investing in a portfolio of securities that generally replicates the Pharmaceutical Index. Unlike many investment companies that try to beat the performance of a benchmark index, the Fund does not try to beat the Pharmaceutical Index and does not seek temporary defensive positions that are inconsistent with its investment objective of seeking to replicate the Pharmaceutical Index. The Fund is classified as a non-diversified fund under the Investment Company Act of 1940 and, therefore, may invest a greater percentage of its assets in a particular issuer. The Fund may concentrate its investments in a particular industry or group of industries to the extent that the Pharmaceutical Index concentrates in an industry or group of industries. As of September 30, 2025, the pharmaceutical industry and the health care sector represented a significant portion of the Fund.
Top holdings
As of March 31, 2026 · N-PORT| Security | Ticker | Value | % of fund |
|---|---|---|---|
| LILLY ELI and CO | — | $240.48M | 18.70% |
| Novartis AG | — | $138.39M | 10.76% |
| MERCK & CO | — | $124.48M | 9.68% |
| PFIZER INC | — | $67.22M | 5.23% |
| OPTION | NVO US | $61.85M | 4.81% |
| SANOFI SPON ADR | SNY US | $60.80M | 4.73% |
| BRISTOL-MYERS SQUIBB CO | — | $59.47M | 4.62% |
| GSK plc SPONSORED ADR | GSK US | $58.86M | 4.58% |
| ASTRAZENECA PLC | — | $56.57M | 4.40% |
| JOHNSON&JOHNSON | — | $55.78M | 4.34% |
Portfolio moves
Dec 31, 2025 → Mar 31, 2026How many positions this fund opened, exited, grew, trimmed, or left unchanged between its two most recent N-PORT snapshots — net changes between point-in-time reports, not a trade log.
Similar funds
Funds whose portfolios most overlap this one, by weight| Fund | Overlap | Net exp. |
|---|---|---|
| Horizon Kinetics Medical ETF · MEDX | 51% | 0.85% |
| DWS Health and Wellness Fund · SUHAX, SUHCX, SCHLX, SUHIX | 42% | 1.03% |
| iShares U.S. Pharmaceuticals ETF · IHE | 42% | 0.38% |
Advisers
| Firm | Role |
|---|---|
| Van Eck Associates Corporation | Adviser |
Footnotes
- Expense ratio as of January 27, 2026, from the fund's prospectus.
- Net assets and holdings count as of March 31, 2026, from the fund's N-PORT filing.
- Total return for calendar year 2025, before tax and after fund expenses. As reported in the fund's prospectus performance bar chart.
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