Hua Er Jie Jian Wen·2025-08-11 03:04Core Viewpoint - Investor sentiment is highly pessimistic, and U.S. pharmaceutical stocks are facing the most severe challenges in decades [1][3]. Group 1: Market Performance - Major biopharmaceutical companies experienced significant sell-offs during the recent earnings season, leading to a weak overall performance of the sector [1][3]. - The healthcare sector's weight in the S&P 500 index has dropped to its lowest point in decades [1][9]. - Vertex Pharmaceuticals and Eli Lilly faced substantial declines, with Vertex dropping 20.6% on August 4 due to setbacks in its pain medication project, while Eli Lilly recorded its largest drop since the dot-com bubble [4][7]. Group 2: Stock Volatility - The average volatility of healthcare stocks during this earnings season reached ±6%, marking one of the highest volatility records in history [3][9]. - Other major healthcare stocks, including Novo Nordisk, McKesson Corp, and UnitedHealth Group, saw declines of 10% to 20% post-earnings [3][7]. Group 3: Policy Uncertainty - Policy uncertainties, particularly regarding the Trump administration's Most Favored Nation pricing proposal and potential tariffs on the pharmaceutical industry, are major challenges for pharmaceutical stocks [8][9]. - Analysts are closely monitoring the potential announcement of pharmaceutical tariffs, expected in mid-August, which could further impact the sector [8][9]. Group 4: Company-Specific Developments - Despite the overall weak performance, some companies like Johnson & Johnson and Gilead Sciences showed strong results, with Gilead's stock rising 6% last week and a year-to-date increase of 30% due to robust HIV business growth [7]. - The weight loss drug sector has been particularly hard hit, with Eli Lilly losing $100 billion in market value due to disappointing data on its oral weight loss medication [7].