USA – AbbVie’s immunology landscape has dramatically shifted, with Skyrizi surpassing Humira in sales for the first time.
In the third quarter, Skyrizi generated US $3.2 billion—a 50% year-over-year increase—eclipsing Humira, which earned US $2.2 billion amidst competition from biosimilars.
This achievement cements Skyrizi’s place as AbbVie’s new sales leader, a status fueled by its efficacy in psoriasis, arthritis, Crohn’s disease, and ulcerative colitis.
Jeffrey Stewart, AbbVie’s Chief Commercial Officer, emphasized the drug’s edge in global markets, noting, “Skyrizi holds biologic share leadership in approximately 30 countries and has set a very high bar for competitors.”
Since its recent approval for ulcerative colitis, Skyrizi has received “overwhelmingly positive” feedback, Stewart added, reinforcing its foothold in the highly competitive inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) market alongside other big players.
Rinvoq’s growth and strategic head-to-head comparisons
AbbVie’s Rinvoq is also gaining traction, reporting US $1.6 billion in third-quarter sales, up 45%.
Rinvoq is approved for both forms of IBD—Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis—as well as other immunology conditions like psoriatic arthritis and atopic dermatitis.
The drug recently outperformed its main competitor, Dupixent from Regeneron and Sanofi, in a head-to-head atopic dermatitis trial, making it a strong player in a largely untapped market.
“Rinvoq’s uptake in IBD has exceeded our expectations,” said Stewart, highlighting its potential to further boost AbbVie’s revenue stream.
Together, Skyrizi and Rinvoq are projected to achieve over US $17 billion in revenue this year, surpassing initial expectations by US $1.3 billion.
AbbVie CEO Robert Michael praised their performance in a recent call, attributing the strong earnings to these powerhouse drugs.
Positioning for market leadership and future growth
With strong quarterly performances in its immunology portfolio, AbbVie has raised its full-year earnings outlook to US $10.90 to US $10.94 per share.
Furthermore, the company has announced a head-to-head study between Skyrizi and Bristol Myers Squibb’s Sotyktu in psoriasis and plans a similar trial against Takeda’s Entyvio in ulcerative colitis, aiming to solidify Skyrizi’s market leadership.
As AbbVie continues to evolve, the shift from Humira to newer treatments like Skyrizi and Rinvoq underscores the company’s commitment to advancing immunology care.
AbbVie expands Alzheimer’s pipeline
AbbVie has also reinforced its portfolio by acquiring Aliada Therapeutics, a biotech company specializing in Alzheimer’s research, for US $1.4 billion.
This acquisition grants AbbVie control over ALIA-1758, an innovative therapy aimed at overcoming the blood-brain barrier (BBB) to deliver therapeutic antibodies directly to the brain.
This cutting-edge approach holds promise for advancing Alzheimer’s treatments, marking a strategic investment in AbbVie’s expanding neurological pipeline.
In further developments, the FDA recently approved AbbVie’s Vyalev, a combination therapy for advanced Parkinson’s disease.
Vyalev combines carbidopa and levodopa in “prodrug” form, allowing continuous 24-hour subcutaneous infusion for more sustained symptom control.
This therapy, a U.S. first in levodopa-based treatments, could expand beyond current device-aided options and significantly enhance patients’ quality of life.
AbbVie anticipates gradual sales growth as Vyalev integrates into the Medicare system, with eventual revenue projections topping US $1 billion.
