AbbVie gains European nod for Rinvoq

Following a positive opinion from the European Medicines Agency’s advisory committee in October, the European Commission has granted approval for Rinvoq (upadacitinib) for the treatment of adult patients with moderate to severe active rheumatoid arthritis who have responded inadequately to, or who are intolerant to one or more disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs).

Developed by the USA’s AbbVie (NYSE: ABBV), Rinvoq is a once-daily selective and reversible JAK inhibitor and may be used as monotherapy or in combination with methotrexate (MTX). It was approved in the USA in August this year.

Rinvoq is regarded as part of the solution for AbbVie as it seeks to find long-term replacements to the mega-blockbuster Humira (adalimumab), which has annual sales of around $20 billion but is set to go off patent in the USA in 2023.

"We are proud to offer this once-daily tablet as a new treatment option for patients with moderate to severe active rheumatoid arthritis," said Dr Michael Severino, vice chairman and president, AbbVie. "As a company that has been dedicated to discovering and delivering transformative therapies for people living with rheumatic diseases for nearly two decades, Rinvoq expands our portfolio of treatment options for people living with this disease in Europe," he added.