AbbVie Reports Positive Phase 3 Results Showing Small Molecule Upadacitinib Is Superior To Adalimumab For RA

AbbVie recently announced positive results for upadacitinib, a small molecule Janus Kinase (JAK) inhibitor, in a phase 3 clinical trial of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). According to AbbVie, upadacitinib met all primary and secondary endpoints in the study, including superiority versus adalimumab, the anti-TNFα antibody that Abbvie markets as Humira®.

As we previously reported, Abbvie has recently reached global settlements with Samsung Bioepis and Amgen, the makers of two adalimumab biosimilars, that reportedly allow the two companies to begin marketing their biosimilar products in Europe in October 2018 and in the United States in January and June 2023, respectively.

AbbVie also reports that Phase 3 trials of upadacitinib in rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis and Crohn’s disease are ongoing and that it is investigating the drug to treat ulcerative colitis, ankylosing spondylitis, atopic dermatitis and giant cell arteritis.