Big Pharma Earnings Watch: AbbVie, GSK & AstraZeneca

AbbVie CEO Touts Patent Abuse to Extend Exclusivity on Blockbuster Skyrizi, Following in Anti-Competitive Footsteps of Humira

AbbVie, GSK and AstraZeneca reported blockbuster first-quarter earnings this week, with combined revenues exceeding $40 billion. Behind these numbers lies a familiar pattern of egregious price increases on these brand name manufacturers’ most profitable products paired with aggressive anti-competitive practices.

During AbbVie’s earnings call, an analyst from RBC Capital Markets asked about the brand name manufacturer’s thinking around how long it could extend exclusivity in the market around immunology drug Skyrizi.

Trung Nguyen, RBC Capital Markets: “Following on Rinvoq’s successful exclusivity extension to 2037, what’s your confidence in extending Skyrizi’s [exclusivity]? Is there any timeline you have there or any timelines you have for potential biosimilar settlements?”

AbbVie CEO Rob Michael responded by touting patent gamesmanship that has already extended the company’s expected period of exclusivity on Skyrizi past the expiration of patents on the actual “composition of matter” in 2033.

Michael also said the brand name drug company would “vigorously defend” patents around Skyrizi and pointed toward AbbVie’s success utilizing an anti-competitive playbook to extend the exclusivity of other blockbusters. “Clearly we have a strong track record of vigorously defending our patents and protecting our innovation and I would expect that to continue,” Michael said.

The comment points to AbbVie’s decades of patent abuse around blockbuster rheumatoid arthritis drug Humira that became a case study in Big Pharma’s greed.

While Humira finally faced its first competition in the U.S. starting in 2023, over the course of its more than 20 years on the market, AbbVie applied for more than 300 patents on the brand name medication, securing more than half of them. 94 percent of the patents filed on Humira came after the drug was initially approved by the FDA. The strategy helped block competition for years and generated almost $200 billion for AbbVie. In 2022, the drug brought in more money for the company, $21 billion, than all 32 teams in the NFL combined, $19 billion.

Get a full recap of AbbVie, GSK and AstraZeneca’s strong first quarter earnings, fueled by blocking competition and hiking prices, below:

AbbVie

• AbbVie’s first quarter earnings beat Wall Street expectations, with net revenue reaching $15 billion, an increase of 12.4 percent.
• The company’s immunology portfolio sales rose 16.4 percent to $7.29 billion.
• Skyrizi saw Q1 revenue of $4.48 billion, a 30.9 percent year-over-year gain, with Rinvoq bringing in $2.12 billion, reflecting 23.3 percent growth.
• AbbVie raised its full-year adjusted earnings forecast after first-quarter results exceeded expectations, driven by strong demand for its newer immunology drugs Skyrizi and Rinvoq.

GSK

• GSK reported first quarter earnings that surpassed Wall Street analysts’ expectations, boosted by higher specialty medicine sales.  
• The company’s sales rose five percent to more than $10.25 billion in Q1.
• GSK’s shingles vaccine Shingrix lifted global sales to $1.39 billion in the first quarter, setting a new quarterly record.

AstraZeneca

• AstraZeneca reported stronger than expected first quarter earnings, beating Wall Street analysts’ expectations.
• The company saw revenue of $15.29 billion in Q1. 
• AstraZeneca’s oncology and rare diseases divisions led the company’s growth, with revenue of $6.8 billion and $2.42 billion, respectively.
• The drugmaker reported sales of $15.3 billion in the first quarter, easing past the $14.7 billion consensus estimates.

These three companies’ better-than-expected earnings come as they continue to increase prices across their portfolios

AbbVie

• AbbVie has hiked the price of 17 prescription drugs so far in 2026.
• In 2025, AbbVie hiked prices on 17 prescription drugs, including Skyrizi by 4.1 percent and Rinvoq by five percent.
• AbbVie increased prices on 18 prescription drugs in 2024, including a 4.5 percent price increase on Skyrizi and a five percent increase on Rinvoq.
• AbbVie hiked prices on 17 prescription drugs in January 2023, including an eight percent increase on blockbuster autoimmune drug Rinvoq.
• In 2022, AbbVie increased prices on more than 14 prescription drugs.

GSK

• So far this year, GSK has hiked the price of 28 prescription drugs by an average of 3.3 percent.
• Last year, GSK raised prices on 37 drugs, including an 8.9 percent increase on its Shingrix vaccine.
• In 2024, GSK hiked prices on more than 29 prescription drugs, including its blockbuster Shingrix vaccine product by 7.9 percent and asthma drug Trelegy by three percent.
• In 2023, GSK hiked prices on more than 39 drugs, and in 2022, it increased prices on more than 40 drugs.

AstraZeneca

• So far this year, AstraZeneca has increased the price of 13 prescription drugs.
• AstraZeneca hiked prices on 22 prescription drugs in 2025, including diabetes drug Farxiga by three percent and Lokelma by five percent.
• AstraZeneca increased prices on 19 prescription drugs in 2024, including oncology drugs Tagrisso and Lynparza by three percent each.
• AstraZeneca hiked prices on at least 21 prescription drugs in 2023, including best-selling oncology drugs Tagrisso by three percent and Lynparza by 6.8 percent.

Stay tuned as we continue to monitor first quarter earnings calls from brand name drug companies in the coming weeks.

Read more on Q1 earnings from Sanofi HERE.

Read more on Q1 earnings from Johnson & Johnson HERE.

Learn more about solutions to lower prescription drug prices and hold Big Pharma accountable HERE.