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2.5.2 AbbVie

AbbVie owns Humira, Rinvoq, and Skyrizi—three
blockbuster therapies targeting overlapping inflammatory
diseases, including Crohn’s disease and plaque psoriasis. In
2023, all three ranked among the top 10 best-selling
immunology drugs worldwide, bringing in billions in
revenue and solidifying AbbVie’s dominance in the
autoimmune space.

At first glance, this looks like innovation. Three options.
Newer mechanisms. Better outcomes. But look closer, and
it’s something else entirely: a controlled rotation.
One company. Three billion-dollar drugs. Each designed to
follow the other as the prior loses effectiveness—or loses
market exclusivity.

Humira, the headliner, was once the most prescribed
biologic in the world. But over time, it became a known
target for anti-drug antibodies. Clinical data and real-world
evidence confirmed its vulnerability to immune rejection.
Tolerization wasn't hypothetical—it was documented. And
yet, rather than redesign the molecule for immune
compatibility or invest in strategies to prolong its
durability, AbbVie focused on a different kind of defense:
legal.

By filing 132 patents—covering everything from
formulations and delivery devices to dosing schedules—
AbbVie effectively walled off competition, keeping
biosimilars out of the U.S. market for seven years after
Humira’s primary patent expired in 2016. The strategy
worked. While Europe embraced biosimilars as early as
2018, the U.S. market remained locked until 2023.

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