Abbott gets FDA approval to sell arthritis drug for Crohn's disease
The Boston Globe
WASHINGTON -- Abbott Laboratories won US approval to market the arthritis drug Humira to treat adults who have the bowel disorder Crohn's disease.
The Food and Drug Administration gave notice of the approval in an e-mail yesterday. Crohn's is the first nonarthritis use for the drug.
Humira, Abbott's top-selling product with $2 billion in sales last year, is already approved for rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, and spinal arthritis. The new approval may generate $400 million to $500 million in additional sales, said an Abbott spokeswoman. Humira competes with Johnson & Johnson's Remicade, approved in 1998 for treating Crohn's.
Unlike Remicade, which requires a doctor's office or infusion center visit for treatment, Humira is self-injected twice a month with a pen-like device.
Crohn's affects about 600,000 Americans.
The Boston Globe
WASHINGTON -- Abbott Laboratories won US approval to market the arthritis drug Humira to treat adults who have the bowel disorder Crohn's disease.
The Food and Drug Administration gave notice of the approval in an e-mail yesterday. Crohn's is the first nonarthritis use for the drug.
Humira, Abbott's top-selling product with $2 billion in sales last year, is already approved for rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, and spinal arthritis. The new approval may generate $400 million to $500 million in additional sales, said an Abbott spokeswoman. Humira competes with Johnson & Johnson's Remicade, approved in 1998 for treating Crohn's.
Unlike Remicade, which requires a doctor's office or infusion center visit for treatment, Humira is self-injected twice a month with a pen-like device.
Crohn's affects about 600,000 Americans.
