Tuesday, March 18, 2014

AbbVie Hums with Humira

AbbVie (ABBV - $53.10) Chief executive Rick Gonzalez told analysts on the fourth-quarter earnings call that management expects global Humira sales this year will continue growing at a (low) double-digit pace, excluding the impact of foreign exchange. The pursuit of additional indications currently in late stage clinical trials, such as Uveitis (inflammation of the eye and the third leading-cause of blindness), is expected to augment growth too.

Humira – like Johnson & Johnson's (JNJ) Remicade – is a manufactured monoclonal antibody that treats autoimmune diseases by interfering with (blocking) tumor necrosis factor (TNF), an inflammatory protein over-expressed in a wide range of progressive inflammatory disorders that can result in permanent tissue and joint damage over time. 

Could Humira lose share to biosimilars?  Read more at The Motley Fool: AbbVie's Humira Still a Growth Engine

Editor David J Phillips does not hold a financial interest in any stocks mentioned in this article. The 10Q Detective has a Full Disclosure Policy. 

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

There are drugs in the pipe for RA that are not dangerous like these TNF types. Will doctors write prescriptions for enbrel, humira, and remicade knowing that non TNF inhibitors will do as good a job without the risk of TNF inhibitors?