ACCE Biotech Catalysts sits at NAV 1080.42 with VRTX, BMRN, LLY, REGN and SRPT holding the top five slots. Here's what the weights and sector signals reveal.
The ACCE Biotech Catalysts index sits at a NAV of 1080.42 as of July 29, 2026. Five names dominate the portfolio: Vertex Pharmaceuticals (VRTX) at 21%, BioMarin Pharmaceutical (BMRN) at 20%, Eli Lilly (LLY) at 18%, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals (REGN) at 17%, and Sarepta Therapeutics (SRPT) at 16%. Novo Nordisk (NVO) holds 9%, and Madrigal Pharmaceuticals (MDGL) rounds out the index at a negligible weight.
The broader biotech tape is running hot. The SPDR S&P Biotech ETF (XBI) has returned +71.9% over the past year, scoring a 97/100 on momentum alone. The ARK Genomic Revolution ETF (ARKG) is up +46.3% over the same period, also scoring 97. The leveraged Direxion Daily S&P Biotech Bull 3X (LABU) has returned +274.5% in a year. These are not subtle signals. Biotech is in a genuine momentum cycle, and the Catalysts index is built to capture the highest-conviction names within it.
How the Portfolio Is Constructed
The index concentrates heavily in large-cap, commercially validated biotechs rather than speculative clinical-stage names. That is a deliberate design choice. VRTX, LLY, REGN, and NVO all generate substantial free cash flow from approved products. BMRN and SRPT carry more binary risk from pipeline events, but both have commercial revenue bases that reduce pure-catalyst dependency.
The top five positions together represent 92% of the index. This is a high-conviction, low-diversification structure. Investors who want broad biotech exposure already have XBI. The Catalysts index is making a different bet: that a handful of companies with durable franchises and near-term pipeline inflection points will outperform the sector average.
MDGL's near-zero weight is notable. Madrigal received FDA approval for resmetirom (Rezdiffra) in March 2024, making it the first approved treatment for metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH). The minimal allocation suggests the index methodology is waiting for commercial execution to confirm before adding meaningful weight, a disciplined approach given how often launch-phase biotechs disappoint on uptake curves.
The Anchor Positions: VRTX and LLY
Vertex Pharmaceuticals (VRTX) holds the largest single weight at 21%. Vertex has built one of the most defensible franchises in all of biotech through its cystic fibrosis portfolio. Trikafta generates billions in annual revenue with minimal competitive threat, and the company is advancing pain programs and kidney disease candidates that could open entirely new revenue streams. The CF monopoly funds the pipeline; the pipeline is the optionality.
Eli Lilly (LLY) at 18% brings a different profile: a large-cap pharmaceutical company whose GLP-1 franchise, anchored by tirzepatide (Mounjaro for diabetes, Zepbound for obesity), has redefined the company's growth trajectory. Lilly is not a pure biotech, but the index treats it as a catalyst story because manufacturing capacity, label expansions, and cardiovascular outcome data remain active near-term events. The weight reflects that Lilly's pipeline density is unusually high for a company of its size.
REGN, BMRN, and SRPT: The Middle Tier
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals (REGN) at 17% is one of the most productive research organizations in the industry. Dupixent, its IL-4/IL-13 inhibitor, continues expanding into new indications, and the company's oncology pipeline, built around its VelociSuite platform, is generating meaningful clinical data. Regeneron also has a history of disciplined capital allocation, which matters when evaluating whether management will deploy cash productively.
BioMarin Pharmaceutical (BMRN) at 20% is the index's second-largest position and its most interesting tension. BioMarin specializes in rare diseases, a segment with high pricing power and limited generic competition. Voxzogo for achondroplasia and Roctavian for hemophilia A are the commercial anchors. The hemophilia A gene therapy market is still developing, and how Roctavian's long-term durability data reads out will matter for the stock.
Sarepta Therapeutics (SRPT) at 16% is the highest-risk name in the top five. Elevidys, its Duchenne muscular dystrophy gene therapy, received accelerated approval and then a broader label expansion in 2024. The commercial ramp and confirmatory trial data are the catalysts the index is positioned around. Sarepta's revenue growth trajectory from here depends heavily on payer coverage decisions and real-world outcomes data.
NVO: The Outlier Weight
Novo Nordisk (NVO) sits at 9%, the only position clearly below the top cluster. This is worth examining. Novo is arguably the most commercially successful GLP-1 company in the world, with Ozempic and Wegovy generating extraordinary revenue. The reduced weight likely reflects valuation considerations and the fact that Novo's near-term catalyst calendar is less dense than Lilly's. The index appears to be expressing a view that Lilly has more binary upside from pipeline events over the next 12 to 18 months.
Sector Momentum and the Broader Signal
The biotech momentum signal is not subtle. XBI at a 97 momentum score and ARKG at 97 both confirm that capital is rotating into the sector with conviction. The ACCE Biotech Catalysts index, at NAV 1080.42, is positioned to benefit from that rotation through names with the strongest fundamental underpinning.
The risk to this thesis is binary event concentration. SRPT's confirmatory trial, BMRN's Roctavian durability data, and any regulatory action on GLP-1 label expansions could each move the index materially in either direction. The index does not try to eliminate that risk. It tries to own the companies where the probability-weighted outcome of those events is favorable.
One structural tailwind worth tracking: the ARKG ETF's +46.3% one-year return reflects genuine investor appetite for genomic and precision medicine exposure, not just GLP-1 momentum. That broadening of interest across biotech subsectors creates a more supportive environment for names like BMRN and SRPT, which sit outside the GLP-1 narrative entirely.
With the XBI up nearly 72% in a year and the Catalysts index anchored by five commercially validated franchises, the setup heading into the second half of 2026 depends on whether pipeline catalysts across VRTX, REGN, and SRPT deliver on the timelines the market is pricing. The data readouts over the next two quarters will determine whether the index's concentrated construction proves prescient or premature.
