What is product hopping, and how does it apply to Humira?
Critics say AbbVie offered Humira patients Skyrizi coupons just as biosimilars launched — preserving immunology share while keeping overall adalimumab volume trending down, limiting biosimilars' cost-containment impact. A House bill would restrict this practice.
Product hopping describes a company moving patients from an older drug about to face competition to a newer, still-protected drug. In adalimumab, critics say AbbVie encouraged patients and prescribers to switch to its newer immunology drugs Skyrizi and Rinvoq. One pharmacy-cost analyst described the tactic as offering patients on Humira a coupon to Skyrizi just as biosimilars launched, and said it allowed AbbVie to preserve substantial immunology market share despite ten biosimilars. The same analysis noted overall adalimumab volume was trending down, limiting biosimilars' impact on cost containment. A House bill would limit product hopping and abuse of the "patent dance" provisions for biosimilars. AbbVie argues its newer drugs offer superior efficacy and that switching reflects clinical choices by doctors and patients.