AbbVie's Legal Battle Stirs Market as Rina-S Emerges as Key Contender

In recent developments, AbbVie has initiated legal action in the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington against Genmab, ProfoundBio's U.S. branch and Suzhou R&D center, and former employees. The core of the lawsuit revolves around allegations of illicit use of a proprietary disaccharide-based linking technology designed to enhance ADC drugs' hydrophilicity, particularly targeting ProfoundBio's ADC drug, Rina-S.

AbbVie's move to pursue a wide-ranging injunction, rather than assert any patent rights, signifies an ongoing strategy to safeguard its market share amid rising competition. Genmab, firmly denying all allegations, argues that AbbVie's grounds appear to be baseless since the company itself hasn't employed the challenged technology in its product developments.

The pharmaceutical industry recognizes patent lawsuits among competitors as common practice. These legal maneuvers allow companies to protect trade secrets and potentially obstruct rival business progress. The focus on Genmab and ProfoundBio underscores AbbVie's broader strategy to resist commercial encroachment, especially in light of its former blockbuster medication Humira facing patent expiration and competitive pressure.

Rina-S, developed by ProfoundBio, received fast-track status from the FDA in January 2024 for treating specific ovarian cancer patients. Unlike AbbVie’s Elahere, Rina-S has shown promising efficacy across a wider patient demographic in recent clinical trials, illustrating its potential threat to Elahere's market position.

In response, Genmab continues to advance Rina-S's clinical research, evidencing plans to broaden its application across various tumors expressing FRα. This pursuit marks a critical juncture in their strategic pipeline, with potential implications for future competitive dynamics in ovarian cancer therapeutics.

While the lawsuit's outcome remains uncertain, Genmab has refrained from commenting further, leaving the resolution to judicial processes. Meanwhile, its partnership-driven initiatives, notably with epcoritamab, appear unaffected, ensuring ongoing clinical and commercial progress.