NORTH CHICAGO, Illinois: AbbVie said it will launch its ovarian cancer treatment Elahere in the United Kingdom at the same list price charged in the United States, becoming the latest major drugmaker to align overseas prices with U.S. levels under political pressure from Washington.
The move comes as President Donald Trump has demanded that pharmaceutical companies match their American prices to the lowest levels paid by other wealthy countries under his "most-favored-nation" policy. On average, U.S. patients pay nearly three times more for prescription medicines than consumers in other developed nations, sparking criticism from both Democrats and Republicans.
Just last week, Bristol Myers Squibb announced that it would launch its schizophrenia treatment Cobenfy in the UK at its U.S. price, a signal that drugmakers are starting to comply with Trump's push. AbbVie was among 17 firms that received letters from the White House in July outlining expectations to cut or harmonize prices.
AbbVie said it was in discussions with Britain's National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), which assesses whether drugs represent value for money, to secure approval for Elahere. "These talks will determine how and when the drug is launched in the UK," the company said, without disclosing specific figures.
The decision highlights a sharp difference between markets. In the U.S., drug prices are set mainly by market dynamics and negotiations with insurers, while most European governments bargain directly with manufacturers to fix prices for their national health systems. Matching the higher U.S. price in Britain could put Elahere under closer scrutiny by NICE, which often pushes back on expensive medicines.
Elahere, approved in the U.S. in 2022, is part of a new wave of antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs). Sometimes described as "guided missiles," these therapies combine an antibody that seeks out cancer cells with a chemotherapy payload designed to kill them, while sparing healthy tissue.
