Physicians have delivered a boost to AbbVie’s hopes of turning Skyrizi into a $17-billion-a-year drug. The 101 gastroenterologists polled by Spherix Global Insights talked up Skyrizi’s promise in ulcerative colitis, suggesting the IL-23 inhibitor can make a mark on the new indication despite the presence of rival drugs.
Eli Lilly became the first company to win FDA approval for an IL-23 inhibitor in ulcerative colitis last year. While AbbVie, which filed for approval in August, has ceded a headstart to Lilly’s Omvoh, there are signs that the immunology powerhouse can come from behind and establish Skyrizi as a go-to treatment of the inflammatory bowel disease.
More than one-third of gastroenterologists told Spherix Skyrizi is a significant advance over the existing ulcerative colitis drugs, despite Lilly’s rival IL-23 inhibitor already being on the market. Doctors also favor Skyrizi over Johnson & Johnson’s Tremfya and Abivax’s obefazimod. One gastroenterologist said they prefer Skyrizi because it has “the best efficacy profile among the IL-23 agents.”
The survey took place before AbbVie and rivals including J&J shared data at Digestive Disease Week in May. J&J linked its IL-23 inhibitor Tremfya to a significant improvement in the rate of clinical remission compared to placebo at the event, providing maintenance data to support its own planned attack on the ulcerative colitis market.
AbbVie will enter the fight for ulcerative colitis market share with brand recognition. Spherix found most gastroenterologists are highly familiar with Skyrizi. AbbVie won approval for Skyrizi in Crohn’s disease, an adjacent indication to ulcerative colitis, in 2022 and has heavily promoted the drug. Skyrizi is a recurring name at the top of the list of drugs with the biggest TV ad budgets.
The drugmaker’s track record in immunology is an asset. More than two-thirds of the gastroenterologists expect AbbVie to handle the launch well and the overwhelming majority plan to prescribe the medicine in the first six months. The findings suggest AbbVie can make a strong start in a key indication.
Talking on an earnings call in April, Jeffrey Stewart, chief commercial officer at AbbVie, called ulcerative colitis a “substantial long-term growth driver” for Skyrizi. Stewart was talking after another quarter of fast growth, in which demand for Skyrizi in psoriasis and Crohn’s drove sales up 48% to $2 billion. AbbVie raised its Skyrizi sales target for 2027 to $17 billion in February.