AbbVie Settles with Generic Drugmakers for Immunology Drug Rinvoq

AbbVie has reached settlements with all generic drugmakers to resolve litigation challenging their plans to introduce copycat versions of its immunology drug Rinvoq. The settlements allow the generic drugmakers to introduce their versions of the drug in the US starting in 2025. Rinvoq is a key component in AbbVie's immunology franchise, which includes treatments for rheumatoid arthritis and psoriasis.

In a significant move to protect its immunology franchise, AbbVie (NYSE: ABBV) has reached settlements with all generic drugmakers, resolving litigation that challenged their plans to introduce copycat versions of Rinvoq. This key component in AbbVie's immunology franchise is used to treat rheumatoid arthritis and psoriasis.

The settlements, announced on Thursday, allow the generic drugmakers to introduce their versions of Rinvoq in the U.S. market starting in 2025. However, the regulatory filing by AbbVie indicates that generic products targeting Rinvoq tablets are not expected to enter the U.S. market before April 2037 AbbVie settles with generic drugmakers for key immunology drug Rinvoq^[1].

The agreement comes as AbbVie positions Rinvoq and its sister drug Skyrizi as potential replacements for its blockbuster arthritis therapy Humira, which lost its U.S. market exclusivity in 2023. Rinvoq generated $2.7 billion in net sales in H1 2025, indicating ~53% year-over-year (YoY) growth compared to the ~63% YoY sales slump for Humira in the U.S. AbbVie settles with generic drugmakers for key immunology drug Rinvoq^[1].

In a separate development, AbbVie's global licensing agreement with Glenmark Pharma has seen the latter's shares jump over 2% following an upfront payment of $700 million from AbbVie. This payment is part of an exclusive global licensing agreement for Glenmark's lead investigational asset, ISB 2001, which is in Phase 1 human trials for relapsed or refractory myeloma. The deal includes potential milestone-based payments of up to $1.2 billion [^2, 3].

These developments underscore AbbVie's strategic efforts to maintain its market position in the face of generic competition and to secure promising assets for future growth. The company's ability to extend Rinvoq's market exclusivity and secure a robust pipeline through licensing deals is likely to be closely watched by investors and financial professionals.