New York, Feb 4, 2026, 18:30 EST — After-hours
- AbbVie shares fell roughly 3.9% following the drugmaker’s quarterly earnings and its outlook for 2026
- Rinvoq’s sales miss dragged sentiment down, despite AbbVie projecting 2026 profits above estimates
- Traders are closely tracking if newer immunology drugs will continue to counterbalance Humira’s decline after its patent expiration
AbbVie shares dropped in after-hours trading Wednesday following the release of its fourth-quarter results and a 2026 profit forecast. Investors focused on weaker-than-anticipated sales for the newer immunology drug Rinvoq. The stock last traded down 3.9% at $217.11, hitting a low of $204.98 earlier in the session.
This reaction is crucial as AbbVie navigates the transition away from Humira, its former top seller. Humira has been slipping market share amid competition from biosimilars — near-identical copies of complex biologic drugs — and any missteps with its replacements are met with little tolerance.
Rinvoq and Skyrizi serve as the replacements. Whenever one steps into the spotlight, the conversation swiftly shifts to competition and pricing power—not just the results of a single quarter.
AbbVie reported a 10% jump in fourth-quarter net revenue to $16.618 billion, with adjusted earnings coming in at $2.71 per share. The company projects its adjusted earnings for 2026 to range between $14.37 and $14.57 per share, excluding certain items it doesn’t count as part of core performance.
Shares dropped after Rinvoq sales fell short of forecasts, pulling in $2.37 billion for the quarter versus the expected $2.41 billion. Skyrizi outperformed with $5.01 billion in sales, Reuters reported. Humira revenue declined 25.9% to $1.25 billion amid growing biosimilar competition, though it still exceeded estimates, according to the report.
AbbVie disclosed in an 8-K filing that it released a press statement with the results and attached it as an exhibit to the report.
During the earnings call, AbbVie executives emphasized that inflammatory bowel disease—covering Crohn’s and ulcerative colitis—remains a major growth area for Skyrizi and Rinvoq, even as Johnson & Johnson pushes Tremfya further into the IBD market. “Our compete level is extremely high,” said AbbVie commercial chief Jeffrey Stewart, according to Fierce Pharma. Fierce Pharma
There’s growing concern that the math after Humira gets tougher going forward. Investors are beginning to wonder if the quarter’s gains relied too heavily on Humira, especially as newer drugs encounter steeper hurdles and more competition, Investor’s Business Daily reported.
Thursday’s session will probably depend on how analysts adjust their forecasts and if buyers return following the dip, particularly if they view the Rinvoq miss as a one-time issue.
Investors are eyeing AbbVie’s 2026 outlook shared on the call, which includes revenue forecasts of $21.5 billion for Skyrizi and $10.1 billion for Rinvoq, along with key pipeline targets. The company also flagged an expected approval decision for tevapadon in Parkinson’s disease in Q3.
