AbbVie makes a run at early EU OK for hep C cocktail

Running at full tilt toward an accelerated approval for its hepatitis C combo, AbbVie ($ABBV) today says that it has filed ABT-450/ritonavir, ombitasvir (ABT-267), and dasabuvir (ABT-333) with European regulators for genotype 1 patients. AbbVie, anxious to expand on a portfolio of drugs dominated by Humira, has big plans for hepatitis C, a field that is being transformed by oral, interferon-free therapies. The submission triggers a $20 million milestone for Enanta, which licensed out ABT-450. Gilead ($GILD) has roiled the entire drug market with its $84,000 price tag for Sovaldi, the first step in its own plan to swiftly advance new combos that can address a broad group of genotypes. And payers are loudly clamoring for new therapies that they hope can be used to leverage lower prices. Just how far AbbVie is willing to go on price, though, has yet to be seen. AbbVie has already filed its NDA in the U.S. Release