Companies in the healthcare sector are subjected to rigorous government regulation regarding the products, which they produce and then have to subsequently test. Furthermore, their profitability can be affected by government restrictions on reimbursement for medical expenses. Companies in this sector rely heavily on obtaining, developing and defending patents for innovative products. The government and independent investigations also heavily scrutinize the liability of their products.
The following gives a Selection of stocks from the Healthcare sector of the Standard&Poor 500 Top Companies (S&P500)