NEW YORK, Jan. 4 /PRNewswire/ -- QED International Associates, Inc., administrator for the HealthShares(TM) Exchange-Traded Funds, a series of 20 underlying fund portfolios, today announced that effective at the opening of trading on Monday January 7, 2008, Alexion Pharmaceutical, Inc. will replace Aspreva Pharmaceutical, Inc. in the HealthShares(TM) Autoimmune-Inflammation Index. Alpharma, Inc. will also replace Aspreva Pharmaceutical, Inc. in the HealthShares(TM) Neuroscience Index. Aspreva Pharmaceutical is being acquired by Galencia Group . It was previously reported that Maxygen, Inc. would replace Asperva Pharmaceutical, Inc.
Companies included in the Autoimmune-Inflammation Index are engaged in the research, clinical development and/or commercialization of therapeutic agents for the treatment of inflammatory diseases such as osteoarthritis and autoimmune disorders including, but not limited to, rheumatoid arthritis, allergies, multiple sclerosis, psoriasis and lupus.
Companies included in the Neuroscience Index are engaged in the research, clinical development and/or commercialization of therapeutic agents for the treatment of a wide variety of neurological and psychiatric disorders including, but not limited to, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, Huntington's, schizophrenia, anxiety, depression, epilepsy, pain and sleep disorders.
About HealthShares(TM)
XShares Advisors LLC, a financial services company based in New York, is the creator of the HealthShares(TM) family of Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs). HealthShares(TM) ETFs are organized into therapeutic 'Verticals' and represent specific areas of the healthcare, life science and biotechnology industries. Each Vertical addresses a distinct sub-segment of healthcare, such as the diagnosis and treatment of specific therapeutic areas (e.g. cardiology, cancer, infectious disease, etc.) and the development of medical devices (e.g. orthopedic repair, cardio devices, etc.). Each ETF tracks an index of 22-25 stocks and offers institutional and individual investors a more precise financial instrument that leverages the potential of healthcare investing while mitigating the risks of single stock picking. For more information, visit the company's website at: http://www.healthsharesinc.com/.
About QED International Associates
QED International, based in New York, is a leading financial industry consulting firm specializing in quantitative modeling and the design, development and maintenance of indexes and Exchange Traded Funds. For more information, visit the company's website at http://www.qedinternational.com/
