AbbVie Inc.

AbbVie drug targets include the following conditions: chronic autoimmune diseases in rheumatology, gastroenterology and dermatology, HIV, oncology, neurological disorders such as Parkinson’s disease and multiple sclerosis, metabolic diseases such as thyroid disease and cystic fibrosis complications.

AbbVie’s best-selling drug Humira is an anti-TNF monoclonal antibody used to treat Crohn’s disease, rheumatoid arthritis, ulcerative colitis, hidradenitis suppurativa, psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis, juvenile idiopathic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis and uveitis. Humira works in autoimmune diseases which are diseases where the immune system attacks its own tissues and organs. Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) is normally produced by the immune system but in autoimmune diseases the body can produce too much TNF. HUMIRA is a TNF blocker that binds to TNF preventing reducing its damaging effects.

Abbvie’s HIV drug called Kaletra (Aluvia) is recommended by China’s National Health Commission as treatment for the COVID-19 pneumonia caused by the new coronavirus. The company has plans to donate CNY 10 million (about $15 million) worth of the drug to its China branch. The two antiviral components in Kaletra are lopinar and ritonavir which are protease inhibitors designed to block HIV viral replication. It is hypothesized that the drugs could work for the new coronavirus strain 2019-nCoV. Kaletra treatment was given to Wang Guangfa of Peking University First Hospital who contracted the virus with a positive outcome. Kaletra has previously been shown to be effective against another coronavirus, SARS-CoV.