PILL vs. BBC

Last updated Apr 1, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about Direxion Daily Pharmaceutical & Medical Bull 3X Shares (PILL) and Virtus LifeSci Biotech Clinical Trials ETF (BBC).

PILL and BBC are both exchange-traded funds (ETFs), meaning they are traded on stock exchanges and can be bought and sold throughout the day. PILL is a passively managed fund by Direxion that tracks the performance of the Dynamic Pharmaceuticals Intellidex Index. It was launched on Nov 15, 2017. BBC is a passively managed fund by Virtus Investment Partners that tracks the performance of the LifeSci Biotechnology Clinical Trials Index. It was launched on Dec 16, 2014. Both PILL and BBC 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

PILL vs. BBC - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in Direxion Daily Pharmaceutical & Medical Bull 3X Shares (PILL) and Virtus LifeSci Biotech Clinical Trials ETF (BBC). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

PILL vs. BBC - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017
PILL Direxion Daily Pharmaceutical & Medical Bull 3X Shares	-16.82%	75.14%	-7.26%	-12.06%	-43.16%	-37.33%	0.28%	19.26%	-21.15%	16.39%
BBC Virtus LifeSci Biotech Clinical Trials ETF	7.95%	63.77%	-1.11%	-1.80%	-35.13%	-22.31%	30.32%	63.81%	-18.29%	9.21%

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, PILL achieves a -16.82% return, which is significantly lower than BBC's 7.95% return.

PILL

• 1D: 14.57%
• 1M: -19.95%
• YTD: -16.82%
• 6M: 27.09%
• 1Y: 42.90%
• 3Y*: 7.50%
• 5Y*: -13.42%
• 10Y*: —

BBC

• 1D: 7.67%
• 1M: -1.98%
• YTD: 7.95%
• 6M: 55.07%
• 1Y: 141.32%
• 3Y*: 25.09%
• 5Y*: -3.63%
• 10Y*: 8.41%

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

PILL vs. BBC - Expense Ratio Comparison

PILL has a 0.98% expense ratio, which is higher than BBC's 0.79% expense ratio.

PILL

Direxion Daily Pharmaceutical & Medical Bull 3X Shares

BBC

Virtus LifeSci Biotech Clinical Trials ETF

Return for Risk

PILL vs. BBC — Risk / Return Rank

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

PILL

PILL Risk / Return Rank: 42
PILL Sharpe Ratio Rank: 34
PILL Sortino Ratio Rank: 45
PILL Omega Ratio Rank: 40
PILL Calmar Ratio Rank: 53
PILL Martin Ratio Rank: 36

BBC

BBC Risk / Return Rank: 97
BBC Sharpe Ratio Rank: 98
BBC Sortino Ratio Rank: 97
BBC Omega Ratio Rank: 95
BBC Calmar Ratio Rank: 98
BBC Martin Ratio Rank: 98

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.

PILL vs. BBC - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for Direxion Daily Pharmaceutical & Medical Bull 3X Shares (PILL) and Virtus LifeSci Biotech Clinical Trials ETF (BBC). 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.

	PILL	BBC	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	0.62	3.52	-2.90
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	1.24	3.86	-2.62
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.16	1.47	-0.32
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	1.34	6.54	-5.20
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	3.31	25.10	-21.79
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

PILL vs. BBC - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current PILL Sharpe Ratio is 0.62, which is lower than the BBC Sharpe Ratio of 3.52. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of PILL and BBC, 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

	PILL	BBC	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	0.62	3.52	-2.90
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	-0.23	-0.09	-0.13
Sharpe Ratio (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period	—	0.22	—
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	-0.14	0.12	-0.26

Correlation

The correlation between PILL and BBC is 0.75, 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

PILL vs. BBC - Dividend Comparison

PILL's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 0.75%, less than BBC's 1.57% yield.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015
PILL Direxion Daily Pharmaceutical & Medical Bull 3X Shares	0.75%	0.69%	1.28%	1.83%	0.67%	0.00%	0.00%	0.38%	0.91%	0.10%	0.00%	0.00%
BBC Virtus LifeSci Biotech Clinical Trials ETF	1.57%	1.70%	1.00%	0.34%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	2.09%	0.00%	0.51%

Drawdowns

PILL vs. BBC - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum PILL drawdown since its inception was -88.76%, which is greater than BBC's maximum drawdown of -76.85%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for PILL and BBC.

Drawdown Indicators

	PILL	BBC	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-88.76%	-76.85%	-11.91%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-36.51%	-18.03%	-18.48%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	-83.38%	-72.58%	-10.80%
Max Drawdown (10Y) Largest decline over 10 years	—	-76.85%	—
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-71.50%	-30.71%	-40.79%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-58.38%	-37.30%	-21.08%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	17.66%	5.05%	+12.61%

Volatility

PILL vs. BBC - Volatility Comparison

Direxion Daily Pharmaceutical & Medical Bull 3X Shares (PILL) has a higher volatility of 27.31% compared to Virtus LifeSci Biotech Clinical Trials ETF (BBC) at 13.21%. This indicates that PILL's price experiences larger fluctuations and is considered to be riskier than BBC based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	PILL	BBC	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	27.31%	13.21%	+14.10%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	46.63%	26.93%	+19.70%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	70.30%	40.92%	+29.38%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	59.63%	39.30%	+20.33%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	63.76%	37.86%	+25.90%