First Trust Launches First Trust Indxx Medical Devices ETF

An index-tracking ETF that provides exposure to companies that comprise the medical devices industry

First Trust Advisors L.P. (“First Trust”), a leading exchange-traded fund (“ETF”) provider and asset manager, announced today that it has launched a new ETF, the First Trust Indxx Medical Devices ETF (Cboe: MDEV) (the “fund”). The fund seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield (before the fund’s fees and expenses) of an index called the Indxx Global Medical Equipment Index (the “index”).

“The 2020 global pandemic has put health care at the forefront of news headlines and kitchen table conversations. Growing medical awareness in emerging economies due to aging populations, greater wealth accumulation, and government focus on health care infrastructure all pave the way for increased investment in medical equipment,” said Indxx’s Managing Partner, Rahul Sen Sharma. The fund provides exposure to global companies that comprise the medical devices industry, which are those that focus on developing equipment, instruments, and machines to diagnose, monitor, and treat diseases.

Indxx’s Chief Revenue Officer, Vaibhav Agarwal added, “Our index is the product of a unique methodology backed by top-notch research. It tracks the top 50 global companies by market capitalization within the medical equipment space. We are pleased to work with First Trust who recognizes the value in offering US investors access to this growing sector.”

“Many of the technological developments taking place to enable new discoveries and methods of treatment in health care are significant, and we believe there are strong incentives to find ways to harness these global innovations,” said Ryan Issakainen, CFA, Senior Vice President, ETF Strategist at First Trust. “As a leading provider of thematic ETFs, we are excited to offer MDEV as a way to gain exposure to the medical devices industry.”

For more information about First Trust, please contact Ryan Issakainen at (630) 765-8689 or RIssakainen@FTAdvisors.com.

About First Trust

First Trust is a federally registered investment advisor and serves as the fund’s investment advisor. First Trust and its affiliate First Trust Portfolios L.P. (“FTP”), a FINRA registered broker-dealer, are privately held companies that provide a variety of investment services. First Trust has collective assets under management or supervision of approximately $199 billion as of May 28, 2021 through unit investment trusts, exchange-traded funds, closed-end funds, mutual funds and separate managed accounts. First Trust is the supervisor of the First Trust unit investment trusts, while FTP is the sponsor. FTP is also a distributor of mutual fund shares and exchange-traded fund creation units. First Trust and FTP are based in Wheaton, Illinois. For more information, visit http://www.ftportfolios.com.

You should consider the fund’s investment objectives, risks, and charges and expenses carefully before investing. Contact First Trust Portfolios L.P. at 1-800-621-1675 to obtain a prospectus or summary prospectus which contains this and other information about the fund. The prospectus or summary prospectus should be read carefully before investing.

Risk Considerations

A fund’s return may not match the return of its underlying index. A fund invests in securities included in the index regardless of investment merit and the securities held by a fund will generally not be bought or sold in response to market fluctuations.

Investors buying or selling fund shares on the secondary market may incur customary brokerage commissions. Market prices may differ to some degree from the net asset value of the shares. Investors who sell fund shares may receive less than the share's net asset value. Shares may be sold throughout the day on the exchange through any brokerage account. However, unlike mutual funds, shares may only be redeemed directly from a fund by authorized participants in very large creation/redemption units. If a fund’s authorized participants are unable to proceed with creation/redemption orders and no other authorized participant is able to step forward to create or redeem, fund shares may trade at a discount to a fund’s net asset value and possibly face delisting.

A fund’s shares will change in value, and you could lose money by investing in a fund. One of the principal risks of investing in a fund is market risk. Market risk is the risk that a particular security owned by a fund, fund shares or securities in general may fall in value. There can be no assurance that a fund’s investment objective will be achieved. The outbreak of the respiratory disease designated as COVID-19 in December 2019 has caused significant volatility and declines in global financial markets, which have caused losses for investors. While the development of vaccines has slowed the spread of the virus and allowed for the resumption of "reasonably" normal business activity in the United States, many countries continue to impose lockdown measures in an attempt to slow the spread. Additionally, there is no guarantee that vaccines will be effective against emerging variants of the disease.

Changes in currency exchange rates and the relative value of non- US currencies may affect the value of a fund’s investments and the value of a fund’s shares.

As the use of Internet technology has become more prevalent in the course of business, a fund has become more susceptible to potential operational risks through breaches in cyber security.

Depositary receipts may be less liquid than the underlying shares in their primary trading market.

Securities of non-U.S. issuers are subject to additional risks, including currency fluctuations, political risks, withholding, the lack of adequate financial information, and exchange control restrictions impacting non-U.S. issuers. These risks may be heightened for securities of companies located in, or with significant operations in, emerging market countries.

Health care companies may be affected by government regulations and government health care programs, increases or decreases in the cost of medical products and services and product liability claims, among other factors. Many health care companies are heavily dependent on patent protection, and the expiration of a company’s patent may adversely affect that company’s profitability. Health care companies are also subject to competitive forces that may result in price discounting, may be thinly capitalized and susceptible to product obsolescence.

A fund may be a constituent of one or more indices which could greatly affect a fund’s trading activity, size and volatility.

There is no assurance that the index provider or its agents will compile or maintain the index accurately.

Large inflows and outflows may impact a new fund’s market exposure for limited periods of time.

A fund classified as “non-diversified” may invest a relatively high percentage of its assets in a limited number of issuers. As a result, a fund may be more susceptible to a single adverse economic or regulatory occurrence affecting one or more of these issuers, experience increased volatility and be highly concentrated in certain issuers.

A fund and a fund's advisor may seek to reduce various operational risks through controls and procedures, but it is not possible to completely protect against such risks.

A fund with significant exposure to a single asset class, industry or sector may be more affected by an adverse economic or political development than a broadly diversified fund.

Small- and mid-capitalization companies may experience greater price volatility than larger, more established companies.

Trading on the exchange may be halted due to market conditions or other reasons. There can be no assurance that the requirements to maintain the listing of a fund on the exchange will continue to be met or be unchanged.

First Trust Advisors L.P. is the adviser to the fund. First Trust Advisors L.P. is an affiliate of First Trust Portfolios L.P., the fund’s distributor.

Please see the fund’s prospectus for a complete description of the risks of investing in the fund.

The information presented is not intended to constitute an investment recommendation for, or advice to, any specific person. By providing this information, First Trust is not undertaking to give advice in any fiduciary capacity within the meaning of ERISA, the Internal Revenue Code or any other regulatory framework. Financial professionals are responsible for evaluating investment risks independently and for exercising independent judgment in determining whether investments are appropriate for their clients.

Indxx and Indxx Global Medical Equipment Index (“Index”) are trademarks of Indxx, LLC (“Indxx”) and have been licensed for use for certain purposes by First Trust. The Fund is not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by Indxx and Indxx makes no representation regarding the advisability of trading in such product. The Index is determined, composed and calculated by Indxx without regard to First Trust or the Fund.

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