Abbvie's blockbuster (and about half their revenue-producing) drug Humira may be facing stiff competition from JNJ's new drug... if I were ABBV, I'd be concerned -- fwiw, ABBV has been a good div. payer, but it's reliance on humira always concerned me so I never bought in after their spinoff... :
"(Reuters) - An experimental biotech drug developed by Johnson & Johnson proved more effective at clearing moderate to severe cases of the skin condition plaque psoriasis than a placebo or Abbvie Inc's big-selling Humira, according to data from a late stage study presented on Saturday.
The J&J drug, guselkumab, met the trial's primary goal, demonstrating statistically significant superior efficacy after 16 weeks of treatment and maintaining its advantage through week 48, the company said.
More than 73 percent of patients who received guselkumab experienced near complete skin clearance compared with 2.9 percent those who received a placebo. In the Humira group, nearly 50 percent of patients saw near complete skin clearance.
"These responses were durable and maintained through week 48," Dr. Andrew Blauvelt, lead researcher of the Phase III trial from the Oregon Medical Research Center, said in a statement.
"Guselkumab also showed superior efficacy compared with adalimumab, with a separation in responses that was evident at week 16 and continued through the duration of the trial,” added Blauvelt, using the chemical name for Humira.
Humira, which also treats rheumatoid arthritis and other autoimmune conditions, is the world's top-selling prescription medicine." |
