As AbbVie’s Crohn’s combo beats Skyrizi in mid-stage test, analysts laud autoimmune vision

News Drug Development As AbbVie’s Crohn’s combo beats Skyrizi in mid-stage test, analysts laud autoimmune vision October 19, 2026 | 3 min read | Heather McKenzie Twitter LinkedIn Facebook Email Print AbbVie’s next-gen dual-targeting therapy elicited higher rates of remission than its IL-23 inhibitor Skyrizi in a Phase 2a trial of Crohn’s disease, leading analysts to wonder if the blockbuster can be outdone. AbbVie’s Skyrizi exceeded $10 billion in revenue in the first half of 2026—but when it comes to treating Crohn’s disease, the Chicago-based company is already looking for the next best thing. AbbVie reported Monday that a next-gen combo for the autoimmune disease beat the blockbuster biologic in a mid-stage study.In the Phase 2a TARGET-CD study, ABBV-466—a combination therapy comprising the IL-23–inhibiting Skyrizi and an anti-α4β7 integrin antibody called trosunilimab—elicited higher rates of endoscopic remission than either part of the combo as a monotherapy, meeting the trial’s primary endpoint, AbbVie revealed in a press release.

The result led BMO Capital Markets to ask: “Sky is the limit?”“Early UEG data for ABBV-466 could chart a path for a more efficacious dual-targeting version of Skyrizi,” BMO analysts said in a note to investors Monday morning. RBC Capital Markets analysts were similarly upbeat on the results, saying Monday that the trial delivers on the next-gen combination and “next leg” of AbbVie’s growth story.“We see this as a win for ABBV’s lifecycle management with Skyrizi and for its next-gen agents in development, and reinforces our thesis that ABBV is building a durable moat in IBD through next-gen combo strategies,” the firm’s analysts wrote.TARGET-CD randomized 300 patients 1:1:1 to ABBV-466, Skyrizi or trosunilimab for 24 weeks. At week 12, 30.2% of patients treated with the combo reached endoscopic remission—defined as the absence of visible inflammation in the gastrointestinal tract as observed during endoscopy or colonoscopy—compared to 21.3% of those on Skyrizi and 18% of patients on trosunilimab.The gulf between remission rates seen in patients on ABBV-466 versus monotherapy groups further increased at week 24, AbbVie said, with 40.5% in the ABBV-466 group reaching this goal, as compared to 22.4% of patients treated only with Skyrizi and 20% of those on trosunilimab monotherapy.

As for safety, rates of serious adverse events (SAEs) were slightly higher for ABBV-466 at 10.4%, while 9.6% of patients on Skyrizi monotherapy and 9% of those given trosunilimab alone had SAEs. In the ABBV-466 and trosunilimab arms, the most common adverse events (AEs) were symptoms of Crohn’s disease and nausea. In the Skyrizi cohort, the most common AEs were Crohn’s symptoms and joint pain without inflammation, according to AbbVie.The results were presented Monday as a late-breaker at the 2026 Annual United European Gastroenterology Week Congress (UEGW) in Barcelona.In AbbVie’s press release, Kori Wallace, the company’s global head of immunology clinical development, touted the combo as an example of how the company is “building the next generation of our inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) portfolio, leveraging insights from our own research to address disease pathways that may remain active even when a central inflammatory pathway is inhibited.”AbbVie’s research indicated evidence of α4β7-driven inflammation despite the IL-23 p19 inhibition driven by Skyrizi, leading the company to “augment” the drug with a novel α4β7 inhibitor, trosunilimab, Wallace continued.

“The TARGET-CD results reinforce our strategy of advancing therapies designed around the complex biology of Crohn’s disease,” she said.BMO was bullish on the strategy. “Results are a positive for ABBV shares, potentially positioning the company with an efficacious follow-up molecule to Skyrizi in Crohn’s,” the analysts wrote.AbbVie has previously been lauded for its lifecycle management. When Humira—once pharma’s top-selling drug—went off patent, AbbVie leaned on its new immunology stars, Skyrizi and Rinvoq, which in 2025 reeled in $17.5 billion and $8.3 billion, respectively.

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She is an award-winning journalist specializing in rare disease and neuroscience, in addition to her extensive coverage of the FDA and regulatory science. You can reach her at heather.mckenzie@biospace.com. Also follow her on LinkedIn.