Note: This feature on the best-selling pharmaceuticals of 2023 was updated on March 27. Changes are possible as more data become available. Sales of drugs with more than one developer are added together (as in the case of the COVID-19 vaccine Comirnaty) unless one of those companies records the net sales for it, i.e., Dupixent.…
The 50 best-selling pharmaceuticals of 2022: COVID-19 vaccines poised to take a step back
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on the best-selling pharmaceuticals, leading to shifts in the list with Pfizer and BioNTech’s Comirnaty surpassing AbbVie’s Humira for the No. 1 spot in 2021. That momentum continued in 2022, with Pfizer and BioNTech jointly raking in $59.1 billion in revenue from the sales of the COVID-19…
Sandoz’s Hyrimoz to challenge AbbVie’s Humira dominance
The generic and biosimilar company Sandoz, a Novartis (NYSE:SIX) subsidiary, has received FDA approval for its Humira biosimilar Hyrimoz (adalimumab-adaz) injection. AbbVie’s (NYSE:ABBV) megablockbuster Humira is a biologic medication with indications for an array of autoimmune conditions, including rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn’s disease and psoriasis. Sandoz’s biosimilar will likely be priced significantly lower than Humira’s. This…
50 of 2021’s best-selling pharmaceuticals
Drug sales in 2021 hit record heights, with a handful of pharmaceutical companies handsomely rewarded for creating COVID-19 vaccines and treatments. This roundup of best-selling pharmaceuticals in 2021 highlighted a banner year for the industry. Pfizer alone raked in $36.9 billion in sales from the Comirnaty vaccine it developed jointly with BioNTech. Demand for the…
AbbVie settles Humira-related litigation with Alvotech
AbbVie (NYSE:ABBV) has announced that it has resolved U.S. litigation related to Humira (adalimumab) involving Alvotech Holdings (Reykjavik, Iceland). The two companies have reached an agreement that will give Alvotech a non-exclusive license to AbbVie’s Humira-related patents in the U.S. starting July 1, 2023. Under the terms of the agreement, Alvotech will pay royalties to…
FDA approves first interchangeable Humira biosimilar to Humira
Last year, Humira (adalimumab) was the top-selling drug in the U.S., racking up nearly $20 billion in international sales. Now, Boehringer Ingelheim’s Cyltezo (adalimumab-adbm) has become the first interchangeable Humira biosimilar. First winning FDA approval in August 2017, Cyltezo is a tumor necrosis factor blocker indicated for everything from arthritis to Crohn’s, ulcerative colitis and…
Coherus files BLA for Lucentis biosimilar
Coherus BioSciences (NSDQ:CHRS) has announced that FDA has accepted for review the 351(k) Biologics License Application (BLA) for CHS-201, a biosimilar candidate referencing the blood vessel growth inhibitor Lucentis (ranibizumab). Developed by Genentech, Lucentis first won FDA approval in 2006 to treat wet age-related macular degeneration. Other indications followed, including macular edema following retinal vein…
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…
AbbVie accuses Alvotech of stealing Humira trade secrets
In a complaint filed in Illinois federal court, AbbVie alleges that the Icelandic biopharma company Alvotech sought to copy its blockbuster biologic Humira (adalimumab). The lawsuit accuses Alvotech of hiring a former AbbVie employee, Rongzan Ho, to help it develop a copycat version of Humira. Ho, a team leader of upstream manufacturing for Humira, was…