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ABBV Inks Drug Pricing Deal With Trump, Joins PD-1xVEGF Bandwagon
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Key Takeaways
ABBV agreed to lower U.S. drug prices to match comparable developed markets under MFN terms.
Under the pact, ABBV commits $100B over the next decade to boost U.S. R&D and manufacturing capacity.
ABBV licensed RemeGen's PD-1xVEGF bispecific RC148 for up to $5.6B to expand its solid tumor pipeline.
AbbVie (ABBV - Free Report) announced that it has signed an agreement with the Trump administration to lower drug prices in the United States.
Under the agreement, AbbVie has agreed to reduce the prices of its prescription drugs to match those in comparable developed countries, supporting President Trump’s Most Favored Nation (MFN) pricing proposal. Many of the company’s widely used medicines — such as Alphagan, Combigan, Humira and Synthroid — will be made available at significant discounts through TrumpRx.gov, a federal purchasing platform expected to go live soon.
In return, AbbVie will receive a three-year exemption from import tariffs on pharmaceutical ingredients, contingent upon expanding its domestic manufacturing operations. In this regard, the company has committed to investing $100 billion over the next decade to strengthen its U.S. R&D and capital investments.
The remaining company, Regeneron, has yet to announce a similar deal and likely remains in active discussions with the government.
ABBV Stock's Performance
In the past year, AbbVie’s shares have gained more than 24% compared with the industry’s 18% growth.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
ABBV Inks $5.6B Licensing Deal for Bispecific Cancer Antibody
In a separate press release, the company announced that it has entered into an exclusive licensing deal with China-based biopharmaceutical company RemeGen for the latter’s PD-1xVEGF targeting bispecific antibody candidate, RC148.
Per the terms of the deal, AbbVie will acquire the global rights (excluding Greater China territory) to develop and market RC148. In return, RemeGen will receive an upfront cash payment of $650 million. In addition, ABBV will have to pay up to $4.95 billion in milestone payments to RemeGen, as well as tiered double-digit royalties on the drug’s future net sales.
RemeGen is evaluating RC148 in a phase II study for advanced solid tumors in China. Once added to its pipeline, AbbVie intends to expand the drug’s development as monotherapy as well as in combination regimens with its antibody-drug conjugates (ADC) across various cancer indications, including non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and colorectal cancer (CRC).
Developing bispecific antibodies that target two proteins, namely PD-1 and VEGF, has been one of the lucrative areas in the treatment of cancer of late. Several companies like Summit Therapeutics, BioNTech/Bristol Myers, Merck and Pfizer are already engaged in developing their respective PD-1/VEGF-targeting antibody candidates.
The dual mechanism offered by RC148 differentiates it from currently available therapies for solid tumors (including Merck’s Keytruda), as there is a potentially higher expression of both PD-1 and VEGF in tumor tissues compared to the normal tissues in the body.
Image: Shutterstock
ABBV Inks Drug Pricing Deal With Trump, Joins PD-1xVEGF Bandwagon
Key Takeaways
AbbVie (ABBV - Free Report) announced that it has signed an agreement with the Trump administration to lower drug prices in the United States.
Under the agreement, AbbVie has agreed to reduce the prices of its prescription drugs to match those in comparable developed countries, supporting President Trump’s Most Favored Nation (MFN) pricing proposal. Many of the company’s widely used medicines — such as Alphagan, Combigan, Humira and Synthroid — will be made available at significant discounts through TrumpRx.gov, a federal purchasing platform expected to go live soon.
In return, AbbVie will receive a three-year exemption from import tariffs on pharmaceutical ingredients, contingent upon expanding its domestic manufacturing operations. In this regard, the company has committed to investing $100 billion over the next decade to strengthen its U.S. R&D and capital investments.
With this latest announcement, the U.S. government has now reached deals with 16 out of 17 large drug manufacturers that were called out last year to lower drug prices in the country. Like AbbVie, almost all of these companies — which include Bristol Myers (BMY - Free Report) , Merck (MRK - Free Report) and Pfizer (PFE - Free Report) — have signed similar agreements with the Trump administration over the past few months in exchange for tariff reprieve.
The remaining company, Regeneron, has yet to announce a similar deal and likely remains in active discussions with the government.
ABBV Stock's Performance
In the past year, AbbVie’s shares have gained more than 24% compared with the industry’s 18% growth.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
ABBV Inks $5.6B Licensing Deal for Bispecific Cancer Antibody
In a separate press release, the company announced that it has entered into an exclusive licensing deal with China-based biopharmaceutical company RemeGen for the latter’s PD-1xVEGF targeting bispecific antibody candidate, RC148.
Per the terms of the deal, AbbVie will acquire the global rights (excluding Greater China territory) to develop and market RC148. In return, RemeGen will receive an upfront cash payment of $650 million. In addition, ABBV will have to pay up to $4.95 billion in milestone payments to RemeGen, as well as tiered double-digit royalties on the drug’s future net sales.
RemeGen is evaluating RC148 in a phase II study for advanced solid tumors in China. Once added to its pipeline, AbbVie intends to expand the drug’s development as monotherapy as well as in combination regimens with its antibody-drug conjugates (ADC) across various cancer indications, including non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and colorectal cancer (CRC).
Developing bispecific antibodies that target two proteins, namely PD-1 and VEGF, has been one of the lucrative areas in the treatment of cancer of late. Several companies like Summit Therapeutics, BioNTech/Bristol Myers, Merck and Pfizer are already engaged in developing their respective PD-1/VEGF-targeting antibody candidates.
The dual mechanism offered by RC148 differentiates it from currently available therapies for solid tumors (including Merck’s Keytruda), as there is a potentially higher expression of both PD-1 and VEGF in tumor tissues compared to the normal tissues in the body.
AbbVie Inc. Price
AbbVie Inc. price | AbbVie Inc. Quote
ABBV’s Zacks Rank
AbbVie currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.