New York, Jan 12, 2026, 19:48 EST — After-hours
- AbbVie shares held steady after-hours, following a quiet day during regular trading
- Company rolled out a three-year TrumpRx pricing agreement, linked to exemptions from tariffs and mandates
- AbbVie licensed an oncology asset from China and agreed to acquire a device plant in Tempe
AbbVie shares barely moved in after-hours Monday following a new three-year pricing pact with the Trump administration. The drugmaker also announced two deals to strengthen its pipeline and boost U.S. manufacturing. The stock slipped less than 0.1% to $220.04.
The timing is crucial as Washington ramps up pressure on drugmakers over pricing, while trade policy and tariffs linger in corporate discussions. Investors are sorting out which costs are truly significant versus just noise. AbbVie’s moves bring policy risk, dealmaking, and capital spending into one sharp focus.
With earnings season approaching for drugmakers, traders are zeroing in on the numbers. Questions about Medicaid volume, the real impact of “direct-to-patient” pricing, and whether tariff relief balances out price cuts are all on the table.
AbbVie closed the regular session nearly unchanged, dipping just 0.02% as U.S. stocks crept up. Johnson & Johnson climbed 2.61%, but Pfizer slipped 0.82%, painting a mixed picture for big pharma today. 1
AbbVie announced plans to offer low prices on Medicaid and expand its direct-to-patient programs through TrumpRx, covering drugs like Alphagan, Combigan, Humira, and Synthroid. The company also pledged $100 billion in U.S. research, development, and capital investment over the next 10 years. CEO Robert A. Michael called the agreement a step to “move beyond policies that harm American innovation.” 2
AbbVie secured an exemption from tariffs and future pricing controls, Reuters reports, though many details are still under wraps. The administration has struck comparable deals with other major pharma players like Roche, Merck, and Gilead, the report adds. However, insured patients might not experience much relief since co-pays typically follow list prices. 3
AbbVie and RemeGen announced that AbbVie will shell out $650 million upfront for rights to RC148 outside Greater China. The drug is an experimental cancer therapy targeting PD-1 and VEGF, proteins crucial to immune response and tumor blood-vessel growth. On top of that, RemeGen stands to receive up to $4.95 billion in milestone payments linked to development, approvals, and sales, plus tiered double-digit royalties. AbbVie’s Daejin Abidoye highlighted that the combo approach could unlock opportunities “across a range of solid tumors.” 4
U.S. drugmakers are turning more to licensing molecules from China, typically offering smaller upfront payments but bigger milestone payouts down the line as they hunt for new growth engines. AbbVie highlighted that RC148 could be combined with antibody-drug conjugates, or ADCs, which deliver toxic payloads directly to tumor cells via antibodies. 5
AbbVie and West Pharmaceutical Services announced that AbbVie will acquire a device manufacturing facility in Tempe, Arizona, along with related intellectual property. The company plans to hire roughly 200 workers and invest over $175 million to buy and upgrade the site. Michael added that AbbVie intends to pour more than $10 billion into U.S. capital projects over the next ten years. The deal is expected to close by mid-2026. 6
Investors are still facing a tough call: the TrumpRx deal remains somewhat unclear, and deeper-than-anticipated price cuts might hit margins before any tariff relief kicks in. RC148 is stuck in early-stage trials, a phase where most drugs fail to advance. Meanwhile, AbbVie’s plan to ramp up manufacturing adds execution risk as it brings new capacity online.
Investors are now focused on AbbVie’s upcoming earnings report on Feb. 4. Management will likely come under pressure to detail the financial effects of the pricing deal and explain how soon new investments in oncology and devices will start generating revenue. 7
