AbbVie Submits New Drug Application to U.S. FDA and Marketing Authorization Application to EMA for Upadacitinib for Treatment of Adults with Moderate to Severe Rheumatoid Arthritis

- Regulatory applications supported by robust SELECT Phase 3 program evaluating more than 4,000 patients with moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis[1-5]

- In the SELECT program, results showed that upadacitinib improved signs and symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis, inhibited radiographic progression and improved physical function, both as a monotherapy and in combination with conventional synthetic DMARDs[1-5]

- Upadacitinib, an investigational oral agent engineered by AbbVie to selectively inhibit JAK1, is being studied as a once-daily therapy in rheumatoid arthritis and across multiple immune-mediated diseases[1-13]

News provided by

AbbVie

Dec 20, 2018, 08:50 ET

NORTH CHICAGO, Ill., Dec. 20, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- AbbVie (NYSE: ABBV), a research-based global biopharmaceutical company, announced that it has submitted a New Drug Application (NDA) to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and a marketing authorization application (MAA) to the European Medicines Agency (EMA) for upadacitinib, an oral investigational JAK1-selective inhibitor, for the treatment of adult patients with moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis.

"AbbVie is committed to advancing care for the millions of people living with rheumatoid arthritis, many of whom still do not achieve their treatment goals," said Michael Severino, M.D., Vice Chairman and President, AbbVie. "If approved, upadacitinib has the potential be a meaningful treatment option for a broad range of rheumatoid arthritis patients. We look forward to working with the regulatory authorities throughout the review process."

The NDA and MAA are supported by data from the global upadacitinib SELECT Phase 3 rheumatoid arthritis program evaluating more than 4,000 patients with moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis across five Phase 3 studies.^1-5 In all studies, upadacitinib met all primary and ranked secondary endpoints. The most frequent serious adverse events were infections.^1-5 Top-line results from these clinical studies were previously announced. Upadacitinib is not approved and its safety and efficacy have not been evaluated by regulatory authorities.

About the SELECT Study Program^1-6

The robust SELECT Phase 3 rheumatoid arthritis program evaluates more than 4,900 patients with moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis in six studies. The studies include assessments of efficacy, safety and tolerability across a broad range of rheumatoid arthritis patients. Key measures of efficacy evaluated include ACR responses, Disease Activity Score (DAS28-CRP) and inhibition of radiographic progression. More information on these trials can be found at www.clinicaltrials.gov (NCT02706847, NCT03086343, NCT02629159, NCT02706873, NCT02706951, NCT02675426).

About Upadacitinib

Discovered and developed by AbbVie, upadacitinib is an investigational, oral, small molecule JAK1-selective inhibitor being studied for moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis and other immune-mediated diseases.^7,8 Phase 3 trials of upadacitinib in psoriatic arthritis, Crohn's disease, atopic dermatitis and ulcerative colitis are ongoing and it is also being investigated to treat ankylosing spondylitis.^9-13 Upadacitinib is not approved and its safety and efficacy have not been evaluated by regulatory authorities.

About AbbVie

AbbVie is a global, research and development-based biopharmaceutical company committed to developing innovative advanced therapies for some of the world's most complex and critical conditions. The company's mission is to use its expertise, dedicated people and unique approach to innovation to markedly improve treatments across four primary therapeutic areas: immunology, oncology, virology and neuroscience. In more than 75 countries, AbbVie employees are working every day to advance health solutions for people around the world. For more information about AbbVie, please visit us at www.abbvie.com. Follow @abbvie on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn or Instagram.

Forward-Looking Statements

Some statements in this news release are, or may be considered, forward-looking statements for purposes of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The words "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "project" and similar expressions, among others, generally identify forward-looking statements. AbbVie cautions that these forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, challenges to intellectual property, competition from other products, difficulties inherent in the research and development process, adverse litigation or government action, and changes to laws and regulations applicable to our industry. Additional information about the economic, competitive, governmental, technological and other factors that may affect AbbVie's operations is set forth in Item 1A, "Risk Factors," of AbbVie's 2017 Annual Report on Form 10-K, which has been filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. AbbVie undertakes no obligation to release publicly any revisions to forward-looking statements as a result of subsequent events or developments, except as required by law.

References:

Smolen, J. et al., Upadacitinib As Monotherapy: A Phase 3 Randomised Controlled Double-Blind Study in Patients With Active Rheumatoid Arthritis And Inadequate Response To Methotrexate. Presented at: European League Against Rheumatism Annual Meeting; June 13-16, 2018
Fleischmann R, et al. A Phase 3, Randomized, Double-Blind Study Comparing Upadacitinib to Placebo and to Adalimumab, in Patients with Active Rheumatoid Arthritis with Inadequate Response to Methotrexate. 2018 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting;890
Burmester GR, et al; Safety and efficacy of upadacitinib in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and inadequate response to conventional synthetic disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (SELECT-NEXT): a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase 3 trial. Lancet. 2018 Jun 23;391(10139):2503-2512. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(18)31115-2. Epub 2018 Jun 18.
Genovese MC, et al. Upadacitinib (ABT-494) In Patients with Active Rheumatoid Arthritis And Inadequate Response Or Intolerance To Biological DMARDs: A Phase 3 Randomized, Placebo-Controlled, Double-Blind Study Of A Selective JAK-1 Inhibitor. Presented at: European League Against Rheumatism Annual Meeting; June 13-16, 2018; Amsterdam, Netherlands. SAT0219.
van Vollenhoven, et al. A Phase 3, Randomized, Controlled Trial Comparing Upadacitinib Monotherapy to MTX Monotherapy in MTX-Naïve Patients with Active Rheumatoid Arthritis. 2018 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting; 891
A Phase 3 Study to Compare ABT-494 to Abatacept in Subjects With Rheumatoid Arthritis on Stable Dose of Conventional Synthetic Disease-Modifying Antirheumatic Drugs (csDMARDs) Who Have an Inadequate Response or Intolerance to Biologic DMARDs (SELECT-CHOICE). Clinicaltrials.gov. 2018. Available at: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03086343. Accessed on December 11, 2018.
Voss, J, et al; Pharmacodynamics Of a Novel Jak1 Selective Inhibitor In Rat Arthritis and Anemia Models and In Healthy Human Subjects. [abstract]. Arthritis Rheum 2013;65 Suppl 10 :2374. DOI: 10.1002/art.2013.65.issue-s10.
Pipeline – Our Science | AbbVie. AbbVie. 2018. Available at: https://www.abbvie.com/our-science/pipeline.html. Accessed on December 11, 2018.
A Study Comparing Upadacitinib (ABT-494) to Placebo and to Adalimumab in Participants With Psoriatic Arthritis Who Have an Inadequate Response to at Least One Non-Biologic Disease Modifying Anti-Rheumatic Drug (SELECT - PsA 1). ClinicalTrials.gov. 2018. Available at: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03104400. Accessed on December 11, 2018.
A Multicenter, Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study of ABT-494 for the Induction of Symptomatic and Endoscopic Remission in Subjects With Moderately to Severely Active Crohn's Disease Who Have Inadequately Responded to or Are Intolerant to Immunomodulators or Anti-TNF Therapy. ClinicalTrials.gov. 2018. Available at: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02365649. Accessed on December 11, 2018.
Evaluation of Upadacitinib in Adolescent and Adult Patients With Moderate to Severe Atopic Dermatitis (Eczema)- Measure Up 1. ClinicalTrials.gov. 2018. Available at: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03569293?cond=Atopic+Dermatitis&intr=upadacitinib&phase=2&rank=1. Accessed on December 11, 2018.
A Study to Evaluate the Safety and Efficacy of ABT-494 for Induction and Maintenance Therapy in Subjects With Moderately to Severely Active Ulcerative Colitis. ClinicalTrials.gov. 2018. Available at: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02819635. Accessed on December 11, 2018.
A Study Evaluating the Safety and Efficacy of Upadacitinib in Subjects With Active Ankylosing Spondylitis (SELECT Axis 1). ClinicalTrials.gov. 2018. Available at: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/study/NCT03178487. Accessed on December 11, 2018.