New York, Jan 23, 2026, 15:06 EST — Regular session
- AbbVie shares outperformed the broader health-care sector in afternoon trade
- An Indian patent decision on AbbVie’s Venetoclax (Venclexta) put generics back in focus
- Investors are looking ahead to AbbVie’s Feb. 4 results for guidance and pricing signals
AbbVie Inc. shares rose about 0.6% on Friday after an Indian report said the country’s patent office rejected the drugmaker’s bid to patent venetoclax, a blood-cancer treatment sold as Venclexta. The stock was up 0.6% at $219.33 in afternoon trade, even as the Health Care Select Sector SPDR Fund fell about 0.6%.
The patent call matters because exclusivity is what keeps branded cancer drugs priced well above copycats. When that protection weakens, investors start rerunning the long-term sales math, even if the immediate hit looks small.
India is a hard place for drug patents, and the timing is awkward. Big pharma is already under a fresh round of price scrutiny, and AbbVie has an earnings report coming up that could reset expectations.
India’s Patent Office rejected AbbVie’s application after finding it lacked an “inventive step” — a legal standard that requires a real advance over what already exists — and did not show improved therapeutic benefit, the Economic Times reported. It cited Section 3(d) of India’s patent law, which is meant to stop “evergreening,” where companies try to extend monopolies with minor changes, and said the ruling could clear a path for cheaper generics if it is not challenged; the application drew opposition from seven parties, the report said. (The Economic Times)
The broader tape did not offer much help or harm. The SPDR S&P 500 ETF was flat, while big drugmakers were mixed: Johnson & Johnson gained about 0.6%, while Merck fell about 1%, Pfizer slid about 1.8% and Bristol Myers Squibb eased about 0.6%.
AbbVie has also tried to get out in front of Washington’s pricing push. Earlier this month, it said it reached a voluntary agreement with the Trump administration that includes lower Medicaid prices and expanded direct-to-patient sales — selling some medicines straight to consumers — through TrumpRx, alongside a $100 billion U.S. investment pledge over the next decade. (AbbVie News Center)
Management has kept the message tight on growth, too. At the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference this month, chief financial officer Scott Reents described a “clear line of sight” to continued growth into the 2030s, leaning on newer immunology drugs after Humira’s patent era. (Fierce Pharma)
AbbVie heads into the next earnings print after a bumpy start to January. On Jan. 7, it denied it was in talks to buy Revolution Medicines and cut its 2025 profit forecast after flagging an expected $1.3 billion charge tied to acquired research and development expenses, Reuters reported. (Reuters)
Peers have been dealing with similar cross-currents. Johnson & Johnson said this week its own pricing deal with the Trump administration would cost it “hundreds of millions of dollars,” even as it forecast 2026 profit above Wall Street estimates, a reminder that the White House agreements carry a real price tag. (Reuters)
But the India patent decision is not a clean read-through to AbbVie’s earnings power. The company could still challenge the ruling, and patent fights can drag on, while any broader spread of weak patent outcomes — or a tighter U.S. pricing regime — would sharpen downside risk for valuations built on long exclusivity.
Investors’ next hard catalyst is Feb. 4, when AbbVie is set to report full-year and fourth-quarter 2025 results before the market opens and hold a webcast at 8 a.m. Central time. Traders will be listening for updated profit guidance, any read on pricing agreements, and how the company sees the patent landscape after the India ruling. (AbbVie News Center)
