AbbVie's Humira Safety Net in Inflammatory Bowel Disease is Coming Through Strong, Creating New Threats to Existing Competitors, According to Spherix Global Insights

Rinvoq and Skyrizi are making waves in ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease; is Takeda's Entyvio in the hot seat?

EXTON, Pa., Oct. 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Over the course of this year, AbbVie has proven successful in expanding their immunology portfolio to offset potential Humira losses with the impending launch of adalimumab biosimilars in January of 2023. Specifically, the Chicago-based manufacturer has scored recent FDA approvals of their JAK inhibitor, Rinvoq, for the treatment of ulcerative colitis (UC) and of their IL-23 inhibitor, Skyrizi, for the treatment of Crohn's disease (CD).

Spherix recently surveyed over 75 US gastroenterologists on their current use and perceptions of the newest inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) market entrants through their Launch Dynamix™ services, including the impact on existing brands in the treatment landscape.

With only five months on the UC market, one-half of respondents already report trial of Rinvoq, a figure reported to significantly increase over the next six months. Perhaps more impressive is patient share projections, with Rinvoq's piece of the pie expected to quadruple by February of next year. Coupled with Rinvoq's adoption, BMS' recently launched oral Zeposia is expected to make small but significant gains over the same time period.

While the TNF inhibitors will likely bear the brunt of new market entrant adoption, Takeda's Entyvio is the only alternate mechanism of action (AMOA) asset that is also expected to take a hit. Indeed, Pfizer's Xeljanz and Janssen's Stelara appear to be able to maintain their market position in the near future.

However, while Xeljanz share is expected to remain stagnant over the next six months, Rinvoq continues to outperform Pfizer's JAK in terms of user base and brand satisfaction at the same time period post launch. Though gastroenterologists still show signs of trepidation surrounding JAK inhibitor use due to safety concerns, a growing number are beginning to recognize the different JAK pathway as an impactful advantage for AbbVie's brand.  

According to one respondent, "[Rinvoq] is a drug now that has a different mechanism of action for ulcerative colitis. And the good thing is, I think it's going to be different than its competitor, Xeljanz. So, I'm hoping that Rinvoq won't have as much adverse effects as Xeljanz."

On the other side of IBD and newer to its respective market, Skyrizi (with just two months under its belt at the time of fielding) has already garnered an impressive user base for the treatment of CD. Again, while increased use of the first-to-market IL-23 inhibitor is expected to take the biggest toll on the TNF brands, gastroenterologists also anticipate a slight decrease in Entyvio and Stelara use at the expense of Skyrizi uptake.

Indeed, while Skyrizi holds an obvious advantage over Entyvio regarding its mode of administration (subcutaneous vs. intravenous, due to the lack of approval for Entyvio's SC formulation), respondents also report a clear favoring for AbbVie's brand on most performance and efficacy attributes. While not as prominent, Skyrizi also outperforms Stelara on metrics such as onset of action, monotherapy effectiveness, and mucosal healing.

Both Rinvoq and Skyrizi are also benefitting from AbbVie's strong reputation in the IBD space, and the portfolio they have built is likely to secure their safety net in preparation for Humira's patent expiry. As one gastroenterologist stated, "If we see a drug that's made by AbbVie, I think we give them a little extra respect because of that."

Launch Dynamix™ is an independent service providing a monthly benchmarking of newly launched products for the first eighteen months of commercial availability, augmented by a quarterly deep dive into patient types initiated, brand perceptions, promotional activity, and drivers and barriers to uptake. Learn more about our services here.

Spherix Global Insights is a hyper-focused market intelligence firm that leverages our own independent data and expertise to provide strategic guidance, so biopharma stakeholders make decisions with confidence. We specialize in select immunology, nephrology, and neurology markets.

All company, brand or product names in this document are trademarks of their respective holders.

For more information contact:
Paul Zimmerman, Vice President, Insights
Email: [email protected]
www.spherixglobalinsights.com

SOURCE Spherix Global Insights