Pharmaceuticals
- "My husband and I adopted our first child in January, 2004. Due
to the relief from Humira, I looked forward to becoming a mother. Without
swollen joints, I was able to hold and bathe my son and cater to his every
need. This would have been impossible when RA controlled my life."
Tecela Harris, Insurance Specialist
Humira rheumatoid arthritis patient
- Pharmaceuticals represent more than 50 percent of Abbott's total sales. Our major areas of research are immunology, neuroscience/pain, cancer, infectious diseases, and metabolic diseases. As seen here, in oncology, Abbott scientists are researching a number of cutting-edge treatments to fight cancer.
Humira received the 2007 Galen Prize for Best Biotechnology Product, the equivalent to the Nobel Prize for the pharmaceutical and biomedical industry.
Pharmaceuticals represent more than 50 percent of Abbott's total sales. Our major areas of research are immunology, neuroscience/pain, cancer, infectious diseases, and metabolic diseases. Advancements include:
Immunology
Humira is the first fully human monoclonal antibody approved to treat rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis, or arthritis of the spine. Humira received approval for its fifth indication, for Crohn's disease. In February 2008, we received U.S. approval for our sixth indication, juvenile idiopathic arthritis, and we anticipate European approval in the near future.
Cardiovascular: A Comprehensive Approach to Lipid Management
Abbott's cardiovascular product portfolio and pipeline address the three lipid parameters that contribute to cardiovascular disease: high triglycerides, low HDL (good cholesterol) and high LDL (bad cholesterol). By 2010, Abbott's growing cholesterol franchise has the potential to include five unique patient therapies in the largest U.S. pharmaceutical market.
TriCor, our fenofibrate, continues to be an excellent therapy for lowering triglycerides, and in 2007, we launched a new tablet formulation of Niaspan, the leading therapy for raising HDL.
In our cardiovascular pipeline, we are building on the success of TriCor with ABT-335, our next-generation fenofibrate, submitted for U.S. FDA approval in 2007. And through our collaboration with AstraZeneca, we are codeveloping a single-pill, fixed-dose combination therapy of AstraZeneca's Crestor and ABT-335, which targets all three blood lipids. During 2007, we also submitted Simcor for U.S. FDA approval and received approval in early 2008. Simcor is a fixed-dose combination of Niaspan and simvastatin that addresses both HDL and LDL.
Cancer Pipeline
We have multiple compounds in development to fight cancer. Our scientists reported promising data on three new compounds: ABT-263, (need info on this compound as it is different from 869 which is described here); ABT-869 is a multi-targeted kinase inhibitor that suppresses tumor growth by preventing the growth of blood vessels that supply the tumor with oxygen and nutrients, and by inhibiting key angiogenic signaling pathways; and ABT-888, which can prevent DNA repair in cancer cells and thereby enhance the effectiveness of current cancer therapies.
In oncology, Abbott scientists are researching a number of cutting-edge treatments to fight cancer. In 2007, Abbott partnered with Genentech to collaborate on the development and commercialization of two Abbott compounds. This includes ABT-263, a Bcl-2 family protein antagonist, designed to restore apoptosis (the natural process of cell death often inhibited in cancer cells) and kill certain cancer cell types, such as lymphomas. Another compound, a multitargeted kinase inhibitor, is designed to disrupt blood flow to tumors, inhibiting the progression of cancer. Outside this collaboration, we continue development of additional oncology therapies, including ABT-869, a PARP (Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase) inhibitor, which prevents DNA repair in cancer cells, enhancing the effectiveness of current therapies, such as radiation.
Combination Biologics: Next-Generation Science
We discovered a proprietary technology that, for the first time, combines two or more large molecules – or biologics – into one molecular entity that demonstrates drug-like properties and manufacturing feasibility. These molecules, called dual-variable domain Ig (DVD-Ig™), will allow for development of individual drug candidates that target multiple disease-causing molecules in various therapeutic categories. This discovery opens up a whole new set of possibilities for drug development and biologic treatments that have the potential to more effectively treat individuals with cancer, autoimmune diseases and other complicated conditions.
Pediatric HIV/AIDS Treatment
Abbott introduced our new pediatric tablet formulation of lopinavir/ritonavir for children living with HIV. It is the first and only coformulated protease inhibitor tablet for children. The tablet does not require refrigeration and can be taken with or without food, two important advances in delivering HIV medicine in developing countries where the disease is most prevalent.
