New York, Feb 13, 2026, 17:59 EST — After-hours
AbbVie Inc (ABBV.N) rose around 1.8% to $231.50 in after-hours trading Friday, following the bell. Roughly 8.25 million shares changed hands during the day.
AbbVie has drawn attention ever since it filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, challenging Botox’s placement in Medicare’s drug price negotiation program under the Inflation Reduction Act—a move that could slash prices for certain drugs. The company is pushing back, calling for Botox’s removal from the list on the grounds that it’s a “plasma-derived product,” and warning that price limits would force it to sell at “confiscatory prices.” HHS declined to comment on the ongoing case. Botox brought in just over 10% of AbbVie’s $61.16 billion in revenue last year, based on the company’s filing cited by Reuters. 1
AbbVie shared more on what might fuel growth after Humira, its aging blockbuster, as it spoke Friday at Piper Sandler’s virtual immunology symposium. Management highlighted a list of mid-stage trial updates expected before year-end in both hidradenitis suppurativa and inflammatory bowel disease. Phase II data for lutikizumab and Rinvoq in hidradenitis suppurativa are coming by year’s end, according to the company. AbbVie also noted pending results for Skyrizi along with combination studies still in the pipeline. 2
AbbVie shares jumped 2.99% Thursday, breaking a three-session slide, after its bid appeared on the tape ahead of the symposium. That move stood out, considering the S&P 500 dropped 1.57%. Volume ran higher than the 50-day average. 3
AbbVie ended Friday’s session up 1.76%, closing at $231.50. The S&P 500 edged up just 0.05%, and the Dow added 0.10%. AbbVie left Johnson & Johnson behind—J&J slipped 0.45%. Pfizer and Amgen finished with smaller gains. 4
The stock’s still digesting fallout from its early-February earnings and ongoing immunology questions. AbbVie laid out a 2026 adjusted profit forecast topping projections, but shares dropped after Rinvoq’s sales disappointed. William Blair’s Matt Phipps cited mounting immunology competition, singling out Johnson & Johnson’s Tremfya. CFO Scott Reents also called out “low-single-digit” pricing pressure for several top products. 5
Even so, the Botox fight might drag on. If the court delivers a blow—or just stalls without a resolution for months—policy risk would keep shadowing a business that investors usually see as reliable income.
Pipeline readouts cut both ways. Mid-stage results can swing sentiment sharply; regulators, for their part, look closely at infections and other safety flags when companies push for stronger immunosuppression or pair up drugs.
Come Monday, traders are watching for the latest docket note in the Botox case, and keeping an eye out for any ripple effects from other price-control lawsuits hitting the sector. The big one on the horizon: AbbVie’s spring earnings report, expected to land around April 24. 6
