Since its inception in 2013, AbbVie has had a consistent sales and earnings story – its top-selling drug, and at times topping the entire industry, has been the anti-TNF therapeutic Humira (adalimumab), even after the emergence of biosimilar competition. But on 30 October, the headline changed as Skyrizi (risankizumab), one of two products positioned to replace Humira’s revenue, surpassed AbbVie’s stalwart in quarterly sales for the first time.
Key Takeaways
- AbbVie posted another quarter of sales growth in Q3, marked by Skyrizi surpassing Humira to become the company’s top-selling drug.
- Chief commercial officer Jeffrey Stewart pointed to Skyrizi’s increasing uptake across multiple indications, including immunology, IBD and dermatologic disorders
Chief commercial officer Jeffrey Stewart found a positive in the continued decline of Humira revenues, noting that the company is seeing a shift to other molecules – notably Skyrizi and immunology tag-team partner Rinvoq (upadacitinib) – in the midst of Humira’s ongoing erosion. During the third quarter, Humira brought in nearly $2.23bn globally, down 37%, with US sales of $1