Abbvie Inc (NYSE:ABBV) shares moved higher after the pharma company announced it has secured extended patent protection for its blockbuster autoimmune drug RINVOQ (upadacitinib).
It said in a regulatory filing that it has reached settlements with all generic manufacturers that had filed applications to produce generic versions of RINVOQ, effectively extending US patent protection until April 2037, assuming pediatric exclusivity is granted.
The settlement adds roughly five years of market exclusivity beyond previous analyst expectations, which had anticipated patent expiration around 2032 to 2033.
AbbVie noted in the filing that the agreements are subject to standard acceleration provisions, and the identities of the generic challengers were not disclosed.
First approved in the US in 2019 for rheumatoid arthritis, RINVOQ has since expanded to treat multiple indications, including psoriatic arthritis, atopic dermatitis, ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease, ankylosing spondylitis, axial spondyloarthritis, polyarticular juvenile idiopathic arthritis, and giant cell arteritis.
In the first half of 2025, sales of RINVOQ rose more than 48% year-over-year to nearly $3.75 billion, with the US market accounting for approximately $2.7 billion.
The drug has become a central part of AbbVie’s immunology portfolio, helping offset revenue losses following the patent expiration of Humira (adalimumab), the company’s former top-selling product.
Shares of Abbie added 3.8% at about $220 in the early afternoon on Thursday.