3. Filgotinib for rheumatoid arthritis
The world's top-selling drug, Humira, hauled in around $20 billion last year as an anti-inflammatory injection for people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), psoriasis, and inflammatory bowel disease. Gilead's filgotinib is an easy-to-swallow tablet in late-stage pivotal trials for the treatment of RA, which puts it far behind a couple other similar candidates ready to break into this space.
Last year, Eli Lilly (NYSE: LLY) launched a new, easy-to-swallow tablet for rheumatoid arthritis called Olumiant, but the FDA restricted the dosage to a level that probably won't be very effective. The agency was troubled by a very small number of patients who experienced life-threatening blood clots during studies with Olumiant. AbbVie (NYSE: ABBV) is waiting for the FDA to review an application submitted late last year for upadacitinib, another oral RA therapy with a safety record besmirched by a small number of lethal clots during phase 3 trials.
During the Finch-2 study with filgotinib, RA patients who didn't respond well to Humira, or other injectables, achieved improvements after 12 weeks that suggest filgotinib can stand up to Olumiant and upadacitinib. Moreover, it hasn't been associated with dangerous blood clots yet.
Investigators will present data from two more Finch studies before the end of the first quarter. If Gilead's RA hopeful can maintain a squeaky-clean safety profile, there's a good chance it will also become the best-selling new rheumatoid arthritis treatment, with potential expansions to inflammatory bowel disease down the road.