Why is AbbVie considered a controversial drugmaker?
A House investigation concluded AbbVie exploited the patent system to extend Humira's US monopoly four years longer than in Europe, raised its price 27 times, and engaged in shadow pricing with its closest competitor.
AbbVie has become the leading example of how a company can extend a drug's US monopoly long after its core patent expires. A 2021 House Oversight Committee report, built on 170,000 pages of internal documents obtained under subpoena threat, concluded that AbbVie exploited the patent system and engaged in anticompetitive practices to extend its monopoly pricing. The report documented 27 price increases for Humira and found US patients paid far more than those in other countries.
The company has also settled allegations over the use of nurse "ambassadors" and gifts to promote Humira, and its strategy of moving patients to newer drugs as biosimilars arrived has been criticised as product hopping. AbbVie maintains its patents are legitimate protections for real innovation and that its pricing reflects the value of its medicines.