AbbVie nabs FDA approval for oral RA therapy JAK inhibitor Rinvoq

Discovered and developed by AbbVie (NYSE: ABBV), Rinvoq (upadacitinib) marks the second US Food and Drug Administration approval of a targeted immunomodulator (TIM) therapy for the company this year, and provides a back up to its mega blockbuster drug Humira (adalimumab).

Under its priority review system, the FDA approved Rinvoq, a 15mg, once-daily oral Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitor, for the treatment of adults with moderately to severely active rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who have had an inadequate response or intolerance to methotrexate (MTX-IR). Rinvoq is expected to be available in the USA in late August 2019, said AbbVie, whose shares gained 2.3% to $64.43 by close on Friday following the news.

Filling the Humira gap