FDA first approved AbbVie’s (NYSE:ABBV) interleukin-23 inhibitor Skyrizi (risankizumab-rzaa) for moderate to severe plaque psoriasis in 2019. Now, the agency has extended the approval to include adults with active psoriatic arthritis (PsA), which affects almost one out of three people with psoriasis. To win the new indication, AbbVie provided data from the KEEPsAKE-1 and KEEPsAKE-2 pivotal studies.…
FDA grants Rinvoq new indication for moderate to severe atopic dermatitis
FDA has approved Rinvoq (upadacitinib) from AbbVie (NYSE:ABBV) to treat moderate to severe atopic dermatitis in individuals at least 12 years old. AbbVie anticipates 2025 risk-adjusted sales for Rinvoq to top $7.5 billion. The most common type of eczema, atopic dermatitis, can be managed with various therapies, including corticosteroids, topical calcineurin inhibitors and immunosuppressants. Nevertheless, the…
AbbVie files Rinvoq application for non-radiographic axial spondyloarthritis in U.S. and Europe
AbbVie (NYSE:ABBV) has submitted applications asking for approval of upadacitinib (Rinvoq) from the FDA and the European Medicines Agency (EMA) to treat adults with active non-radiographic axial spondyloarthritis (nr-axSpA). If approved, Rinvoq would be indicated for nr-axSpA patients with objective signs of inflammation with an inadequate response to nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). The Janus kinase…
FDA approves first eye drop for presbyopia
AbbVie (NYSE:ABBV) subsidiary Allergan has received FDA approval for Vuity (pilocarpine HCl ophthalmic solution), a novel eye drop for treating presbyopia. This common age-related condition leads millions of middle-aged people to acquire reading glasses. Vuity is a once-daily prescription eye drop. Presbyopia, or age-related blurry near vision, can be diagnosed through a basic eye exam…
Rinvoq meets primary and important secondary endpoints in Phase 3 Crohn’s disease study
AbbVie (NYSE:ABBV) has released positive top-line results from U-EXCEED, which showed that Rinvoq (upadacitinib) hit both primary endpoints of clinical remission and endoscopic response at week 12 of a Phase 3 induction study focused on patients with Crohn’s disease. Upadacitinib is a selective and reversible JAK inhibitor first FDA approved in 2019 for treating adults with…
AbbVie, University of Chicago lengthen oncology research partnership until 2025
AbbVie (NYSE: ABBV) has extended an agreement with the University of Chicago related to collaborative preclinical oncology research. The North Chicago, Illinois–based company and the university are working together on research involving biomarkers and therapeutic applications related to existing AbbVie programs. In the past, the organizations have also explored new drug delivery methods to improve…
Regenxbio inks deal with AbbVie to pursue development of RGX-314
Regenxbio (NSDQ:RGNX) has closed a license agreement with AbbVie (NYSE:ABBV) to develop RGX-314, a vascular endothelial growth factor inhibitor. The drug has been the focus of Phase 2 and Phase 3 trials exploring its potential in wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and diabetic retinopathy. AbbVie will make an upfront payment to Regenxbio of $370 million…
AbbVie shares new Rinvoq data involving patients with psoriatic arthritis
Abbvie’s (NYSE:ABBV) JAK inhibitor Rinvoq (upadacitinib) beat out placebo at week 24 in posthoc analyses of two Phase 3 studies focused on people with active psoriatic arthritis. In particular, the drug led to a superior clinical response related to axial involvement, which occurs in a substantial portion of people with psoriatic arthritis. Sharing the data…
AbbVie wins CHMP positive opinion to use Skyrizi as an active psoriatic arthritis treatment
AbbVie (NYSE:ABBV) announced that the interleukin-23 antagonist Skyrizi (risankizumab) had received backing from the European Medicines Agency’s (EMA) Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) to treat active psoriatic arthritis. The committee recommended the drug for adults with active psoriatic arthritis who have had an inadequate response or who have been intolerant to one…
AbbVie’s Rinvoq met primary endpoint in ankylosing spondylitis trial
AbbVie (NYSE:ABBV) has announced positive top-line results in a Phase 3 trial focusing on patients with active ankylosing spondylitis (AS), an inflammatory disease that can eventually lead to fused vertebrae. The first of two studies, the SELECT-AXIS 2 study examined a daily 15-mg dose of Rinvoq (upadacitinib) in AS patients who had an inadequate response…
AbbVie’s migraine drug Qulipta wins FDA nod as a preventive migraine treatment
Qulipta (atogepant) from AbbVie (NYSE:ABBV) has become the first calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) agonist to win FDA approval for the preventive treatment of migraine headaches. In recent years, the agency has approved two related drugs, Ubrelvy (ubrogepant) from AbbVie subsidiary Allergan (NYSE:ABBV) and Nurtec ODT (rimegepant sulfate) from Biohaven Pharmaceutical Holding Company Ltd. (NYSE:BHVN). Both…
34 of the most innovative pharmaceutical products
The Galien Foundation has revealed its latest nominees for the 2021 Prix Galien USA Award highlighting innovations in biotechnology, pharmaceutical agents, medical technology and digital health products. Entrants to the competition must have received FDA approval within the past five years and demonstrate exceptional therapeutic potential. The Galien Foundation does not use financial data to…
Rinvoq could hold promise for atopic dermatitis
The Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitor Rinvoq (upadacitinib) from AbbVie has a current indication for moderate to severe active rheumatoid arthritis for patients with an inadequate response or intolerance to the immunosuppressant methotrexate. Rinvoq is seeking expanded approval for the drug to treat moderate to severe atopic dermatitis (AD), which is a form of eczema. Earlier this…
AbbVie faces Senate questions related to tax practices
Senate Finance Committee Chair Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) has announced an investigation of AbbVie’s (NYSE: ABBV) tax practices. In a statement, the senator argued that the company’s tax rate from 2018 to 2020 was 9.5% — less than half of the 20% rate it paid in 2016. Wyden has sent a letter to AbbVie CEO Richard…
50 of 2020’s best-selling pharmaceuticals
Drug sales in 2020 proved more resilient than many experts anticipated in the early days of the pandemic. Still, the impact on many injectable drugs was tangible in the first half of the year as hospitals initially dissuaded patients from seeking in-person treatment. But sales were generally strong for the full year. AbbVie’s injectable biologic…
NIH launches drug trial for deadly cytokine storm
The National Institutes of Health today launched a Phase 3 clinical trial to evaluate three immune modulator drugs in hospitalized adults with COVID-19. Some COVID-19 patients experience an immune response in which the immune system unleashes proteins that trigger inflammation, otherwise known as a cytokine storm, which can lead to acute respiratory distress syndrome, multiple…
The most innovative pharmaceutical agents of 2020
The Galien Foundation recently announced nominees for most innovative pharmaceutical agents for its 14th Annual Prix Galien USA Awards. The foundation bestows the Prix Galien Award annually to examples of outstanding biomedical, pharmaceutical drugs and medical technology products that are designed to improve the human condition. “As we celebrate 50 years of the Prix Galien…