AbbVie (NYSE: ABBV) has initiated legal action in the US to safeguard its blockbuster drug Rinvoq (upadacitinib) from generic market entries by Switzerland-based Sandoz (SWX: SDZ) and Indian pharmaceutical companies Aurobindo Pharma (NSE: AUROPHARMA), Hetero Labs, Intas Pharmaceuticals, and Sun Pharmaceutical (NSE: SUNPHARMA). Despite holding patents on the JAK inhibitor that extend until 2033 to 2038, AbbVie is taking preemptive measures to ward off any potential regulatory or legal challenges from its competitors.
Rinvoq, approved for the treatment of several autoimmune diseases, generated USD 2.5 billion in global sales last year. Along with the IL-23 inhibitor Skyrizi (risankizumab), Rinvoq is a key component of AbbVie’s strategy to offset the impact of biosimilar competition to its top-selling drug Humira (adalimumab), which began last year.- Flcube.com
