AbbVie’s response* to NHS England’s announcement to switching to new versions of adalimumab

AbbVie today (16th October 2018) welcomes the intention expressed by NHS England to maintain HUMIRA® (adalimumab); a specialised biologic medicine for treating a number of inflammatory conditions, as an ongoing treatment option for physicians and patients, as part of the adalimumab tendering strategy, which will start on 1st December 2018.

Whilst we welcome the introduction of biosimilars that have demonstrated they are as safe and efficacious as their reference products, we remain committed to ensuring that our medicine remains a best value biologic option for the NHS, both now and in the future, and it is our position that patients who are stable on their existing biologic therapy should not be switched to another product for non-medical reasons.

Furthermore building on the strength of our continuous 20 years of investment and a strong foundation in immunology, we are advancing an extensive portfolio, with several molecular compounds being evaluated across multiple immune-mediated conditions. These investigational medicines are designed to target different immune system pathways. We believe that these compounds will provide us with a competitive portfolio in immunology that will help us maintain our therapeutic leadership, drive continued growth and make an ongoing impact on patients’ lives.

*This statement is provided in direct response to the NHS England press release ‘NHS set to save £150 million by switching to new versions of most costly drug’, issued 15th October 2018, during which time the tender process is still on-going.