The $840m deal AbbVie signed on 23 September with Ablynx, the Belgian "nanobody" specialist, comes after it agreed to pay up to $1.35bn to Galapagos for a similar type of deal in the same therapeutic space last year, and up to $480m to Biotest the year before. The stakes are high, and for good reason: AbbVie currently sells one of the best-selling medicines of all time, the anti-TNF biologic Humira (adalimumab; 2012 sales $9.3bn). To future-proof its market-leading position in the autoimmune space it needs to cover several bases.
While Humira is expected to be threatened first of all within the next few years by oral therapies like Pfizer's...
Read the full article – start your free trial today!
Join thousands of industry professionals who rely on Scrip for daily insights
- Start your 7-day free trial
- Explore trusted news, analysis, and insights
- Access comprehensive global coverage
- Enjoy instant access – no credit card required
Already a subscriber?