AbbVie’s Claims of Corporate Espionage will be Investigated by US International Trade Commission

January 31, 2022

The US International Trade Commission has announced they will investigate claims that two companies planning to release a biosimilar of Humira engaged in corporate espionage. Abbvie, the manufacturer of the best-selling biologic rheumatoid arthritis drug, claims that Alvotech and Teva Pharmaceuticals used trade secrets illegally obtained from a former Abbvie employee. The company argues that blocking the biosimilars would not harm public health.

However, according to Ed Silverman of STAT News, the feeling isn’t shared by all. He writes, “The Association for Accessible Medicines, which represents generic manufacturers, filed a comment with the ITC that maintained a decision that supports AbbVie would ‘adversely impact the public health and welfare of the United States by decreasing competition, raising already high drug prices, and ultimately reducing patient access to life-saving medicines.’”