Global equity markets across Europe, the United States and Asia have set several personal bests so far this year. But it is the healthcare sector that is really showing muscle. In the first half of 2015, the MSCI World Health Care index produced a gross return of 10.3%, compared with the MSCI World index for all stocks of 3%.

Annualised performance of the sector over three and five years stands at 24.8% and 21.6%, surpassing the MSCI World's returns of 14.9% and 13.7% over the same periods. Its returns have also left behind such sector competitors as financials, information technology and energy.