Stuk over Humira uit bovenstaamde link even copy-paste. De laatste
alinea zal menigeen aanspreken.
Furthermore, during April, AbbVie secured approval from the European Commission to sell its blockbuster drug Humira, to treat children suffering from plaque psoriasis. Upon extended approval, the drug can now be administered to children aged four and above, who have not demonstrated adequate response to phototherapies and tropical therapy, or who are not suitable to receive those treatments. After the approval, the drug can be used for the extended indication in all the EU member countries.
The extended approval came as a sigh of relief for the company, who is expecting a steep decline in the sales of Humira. In 2014, as much as $12.5 billion was contributed by Humira toward the overall sales of the company. However, upon the launch of generic drugs and biosimilar versions, the drug is expected to lose on sales significantly. According to a Citi Group research report, Humira sales are expected to drop from $16 billion in 2017 to $6 billion in 2022, which translates to a loss of almost 60% sales. The recent approval can be of marginal help to fill the void, which is expected to be created by the launch of biosimilar drug versions.
The company has maintained its focus on entering into partnerships and making acquisitions for the development of specialty drugs. One such collaboration with Galapagos NV (ADR) (OTCMKTS:GLPYY) was successful in meeting endpoints in a crucial Phase IIb study. The drug, filgotinib, which is being developed to treat arthritis, has attracted attention toward itself as Bloomberg highlighted Galapagos as an attractive acquisition target for the larger fish in the pool.
Upon the announcement of top-line results, AbbVie now has to make a choice of either to opt in or out of final-stage testing of filgotinib. Garnier analyst Hugo Solvet has forecasted the drug to generate annual peak sales of $2.2 billion.