NASDAQ launches new Health Care Index

The NASDAQ stock market has launched a new Health Care Index (NASDAQ:IXHC), a market-value weighted index that contains NASDAQ listed companies classified as health, pharmaceutical or biotechnology.

The index includes health maintenance organisations, hospital management and long-term care, medical equipment and supplies, other health care, biotechnology, and pharmaceutical companies.

The NASDAQ Health Care Index is separate to the NASDAQ Biotechnology Index, established in 1993, which contains companies classified as either biotechnology or pharmaceutical.

Nanotechnology company pSivida (ASX:PSD; NASDAQ:PSDV; Xetra:PSI) will be one of the founding members of the Health Care Index.

"As one of only 11 Australian companies listed on NASDAQ, our inclusion on the Health Care Index is recognition of pSivida's increased visibility in the United States, the world's largest health care and financial market," said pSivida managing director Gavin Rezos.