With AbbVie’s top-selling Humira headed for the patent cliff, the company is gaining momentum for a global rollout of its next potential blockbuster.
This week, the company’s new psoriasis medication, Skyrizi, won approval in Japan. Although regulators in the U.S. and EU are still reviewing approval applications for the drugs, the stamp of approval across the pond is a good indication that Skyrizi could soon be headed for market.
Expectations for Skyrizi are high: Analysts have pegged the drug to reach blockbuster levels globally with $2 billion in sales by 2024. AbbVie is also hoping that Skyrizi will help offset sales declines from Humira, which will soon be facing more generics competition.
Skyrizi, an IL-23 inhibitor, was developed to treat three kinds of psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. The FDA is expected to issue a final decision on the drug by June.