IHE vs. BBP

Last updated Apr 2, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about iShares U.S. Pharmaceuticals ETF (IHE) and Virtus LifeSci Biotech Products ETF (BBP).

IHE and BBP are both exchange-traded funds (ETFs), meaning they are traded on stock exchanges and can be bought and sold throughout the day. IHE is a passively managed fund by iShares that tracks the performance of the Dow Jones U.S. Select Pharmaceuticals Index. It was launched on May 5, 2006. BBP is a passively managed fund by Virtus Investment Partners that tracks the performance of the LifeSci Biotechnology Products Index. It was launched on Dec 17, 2014. Both IHE and BBP are passive ETFs, meaning that they are not actively managed but aim to replicate the performance of the underlying index as closely as possible.

Performance

IHE vs. BBP - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in iShares U.S. Pharmaceuticals ETF (IHE) and Virtus LifeSci Biotech Products ETF (BBP). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

IHE vs. BBP - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017
IHE iShares U.S. Pharmaceuticals ETF	3.70%	31.69%	8.13%	1.06%	-4.87%	13.07%	13.66%	15.47%	-7.76%	10.64%
BBP Virtus LifeSci Biotech Products ETF	4.77%	33.15%	3.32%	17.88%	0.85%	-8.17%	22.24%	24.73%	-13.95%	24.07%

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, IHE achieves a 3.70% return, which is significantly lower than BBP's 4.77% return. Over the past 10 years, IHE has underperformed BBP with an annualized return of 8.20%, while BBP has yielded a comparatively higher 12.85% annualized return.

IHE

• 1D: 1.15%
• 1M: -3.66%
• YTD: 3.70%
• 6M: 18.16%
• 1Y: 32.13%
• 3Y*: 16.43%
• 5Y*: 10.17%
• 10Y*: 8.20%

BBP

• 1D: 0.80%
• 1M: -0.93%
• YTD: 4.77%
• 6M: 17.96%
• 1Y: 47.40%
• 3Y*: 19.33%
• 5Y*: 9.54%
• 10Y*: 12.85%

*Multi-year figures are annualized to reflect compound growth (CAGR)

IHE vs. BBP - Expense Ratio Comparison

IHE has a 0.42% expense ratio, which is lower than BBP's 0.79% expense ratio.

BBP

Virtus LifeSci Biotech Products ETF

IHE

iShares U.S. Pharmaceuticals ETF

Return for Risk

IHE vs. BBP — Risk / Return Rank

Compare risk-adjusted metric ranks to identify better-performing investments over the past 12 months.

IHE

IHE Risk / Return Rank: 78
IHE Sharpe Ratio Rank: 81
IHE Sortino Ratio Rank: 81
IHE Omega Ratio Rank: 75
IHE Calmar Ratio Rank: 83
IHE Martin Ratio Rank: 72

BBP

BBP Risk / Return Rank: 85
BBP Sharpe Ratio Rank: 85
BBP Sortino Ratio Rank: 87
BBP Omega Ratio Rank: 77
BBP Calmar Ratio Rank: 90
BBP Martin Ratio Rank: 88

The rank (0–100) shows how this investment's returns compare to the risk taken. Higher = better. Based on the past 12 months of data, combining Sharpe, Sortino, and other metrics used by quantitative funds and institutional investors.

IHE vs. BBP - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for iShares U.S. Pharmaceuticals ETF (IHE) and Virtus LifeSci Biotech Products ETF (BBP). Risk-adjusted metrics are performance indicators that assess an investment's returns in relation to its risk, enabling a more accurate comparison of different investment options.

	IHE	BBP	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	1.59	1.78	-0.18
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	2.20	2.44	-0.25
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.29	1.30	-0.01
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	2.52	3.20	-0.68
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	7.93	11.83	-3.90
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

IHE vs. BBP - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current IHE Sharpe Ratio is 1.59, which is comparable to the BBP Sharpe Ratio of 1.78. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of IHE and BBP, offering insights into how both investments have performed under varying market conditions. These values are calculated using daily returns over the previous 12 months.

Sharpe Ratios by Period

	IHE	BBP	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	1.59	1.78	-0.18
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	0.64	0.37	+0.27
Sharpe Ratio (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period	0.45	0.47	-0.01
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	0.50	0.40	+0.11

Correlation

The correlation between IHE and BBP is 0.70, which is considered to be high. That indicates a strong positive relationship between their price movements. Having highly-correlated positions in a portfolio may signal a lack of diversification, potentially leading to increased risk during market downturns.

Dividends

IHE vs. BBP - Dividend Comparison

IHE's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 1.70%, while BBP has not paid dividends to shareholders.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015
IHE iShares U.S. Pharmaceuticals ETF	1.70%	1.76%	1.73%	1.39%	2.01%	1.49%	1.19%	1.40%	1.25%	1.36%	0.92%	1.93%
BBP Virtus LifeSci Biotech Products ETF	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.18%	0.00%	1.29%

Drawdowns

IHE vs. BBP - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum IHE drawdown since its inception was -38.20%, smaller than the maximum BBP drawdown of -44.32%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for IHE and BBP.

Drawdown Indicators

	IHE	BBP	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-38.20%	-44.32%	+6.12%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-10.58%	-13.38%	+2.80%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	-16.03%	-38.28%	+22.25%
Max Drawdown (10Y) Largest decline over 10 years	-29.59%	-44.32%	+14.73%
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-4.22%	-3.12%	-1.10%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-7.95%	-12.16%	+4.21%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	3.36%	3.62%	-0.26%

Volatility

IHE vs. BBP - Volatility Comparison

The current volatility for iShares U.S. Pharmaceuticals ETF (IHE) is 5.91%, while Virtus LifeSci Biotech Products ETF (BBP) has a volatility of 10.64%. This indicates that IHE experiences smaller price fluctuations and is considered to be less risky than BBP based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	IHE	BBP	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	5.91%	10.64%	-4.73%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	12.12%	18.02%	-5.90%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	20.70%	27.02%	-6.32%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	15.95%	26.22%	-10.27%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	18.11%	27.51%	-9.40%