Hedge Fund - OrbiMed Advisors

OrbiMed Advisors is a prominent American investment firm headquartered in New York City, specializing in public and private investments within the Healthcare and Biotechnology sectors. Recognized as one of the world's largest dedicated healthcare investment firms, OrbiMed plays a pivotal role in shaping the future of healthcare through strategic investments.

Sam Isaly is known as one of the world’s most famous healthcare fund managers, boasting a career that began in 1968 as a pharmaceutical analyst at Chase Manhattan Bank in New York. Over the years, he has held pivotal roles at Merrill Lynch, Legg Mason, and S. G. Warburg & Co., where he crossed paths with Viren Mehta. Together, they established Mehta and Isaly in 1989, a New York-based firm specializing in healthcare research, portfolio management, and corporate consulting. In 1998, Sam restructured the firm, which then served approximately 50 research clients and managed around $600 million in assets.

In 1989, he founded OrbiMed Advisors LLC, focusing on investment management. Notably, in 1993, Mehta and Isaly made their inaugural venture capital investment in Cambridge Antibody Technology, based in Cambridge, UK. OrbiMed subsequently launched its first dedicated venture capital fund in 2000 and expanded to include a dedicated royalty/credit fund in 2011. Under Sam’s stewardship, OrbiMed's assets under management (AUM) surged from $600 million at inception to over $15 billion, with a diverse portfolio spanning three long/short funds, seven venture capital funds, and two royalty/credit funds across four global offices and employing more than 100 professionals. Sam now serves as Chairman Emeritus of OrbiMed Advisors LLC.

Throughout his tenure, Sam managed the Worldwide Healthcare Trust PLC from 1995 to December 2017, achieving impressive annualized returns of 16% during his 22-year tenure, making it the top-performing investment trust in the UK. He also managed the Eaton Vance Worldwide Health Sciences Fund from 1989 to 2017 and Pharma/Wealth in Luxembourg from 1993 to around 2007. In 2018, Sam founded Exome Asset Management LLC, which oversees two long/short funds focusing on global healthcare investments, with assets under management (AUM) exceeding $198 million.

Orbimed Advisors is a prominent hedge fund managing discretionary assets totaling $18,211,070,000 according to Form ADV as of March 2024, for 31 clients. Their Q1 2024 13F filing reported managing $5,459,959,793 in 13F securities with a top 10 holdings concentration of 38.94%. The firm's largest holding is in Sinovac Biotech Ltd, with 2,718,735 shares held.