{"id":531533,"date":"2026-07-08T16:58:18","date_gmt":"2026-07-08T16:58:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/531533\/"},"modified":"2026-07-08T16:58:18","modified_gmt":"2026-07-08T16:58:18","slug":"boom-times-for-autoimmune-disease-therapies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/531533\/","title":{"rendered":"Boom Times For Autoimmune Disease Therapies"},"content":{"rendered":"

In this week\u2019s edition of InnovationRx, we look at the boom in autoimmune disease therapies, OpenAI\u2019s healthcare push, Vertex\u2019s $10 billion purchase of Crinetics, and more. To get it in your inbox, subscribe here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

AbbVie’s Skyrizi is on track to become the world’s second-highest selling drug, according to pharma consultants Evaluate.<\/p>\n

The Associated Press<\/p>\n

AbbVie\u2019s Skyrizi, an injectable drug for autoimmune diseases that include psoriasis and Crohn\u2019s disease, is expected to surpass $33 billion in revenue in 2032, making it the world\u2019s second-biggest selling drug, according to a recent report from pharma consultants Evaluate.<\/a> That puts it smack between Eli Lilly\u2019s GLP-1 blockbusters, Mounjaro (for diabetes) and Zepbound (for weight loss).<\/p>\n

\u201cOnly autoimmune disease drugs come close to rivaling Lilly\u2019s anti-obesity blockbusters given their potential to treat dozens of conditions driven by self-directed immune system attack,\u201d the Evaluate researchers write. They now expect drugs that modulate the immune system to grow at a compounded annual rate of more than 9%, ahead of the pace of the popular metabolic drugs.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is a boom right now,\u201d says Jane Grogan, executive vice president and head of research at Biogen, the $31 billion (market cap) biotech firm that recently expanded its immunology pipeline with the purchase of RayThera for up to $1 billion. \u201cWe\u2019re really excited about what\u2019s coming in the immunology space, especially in lupus, which has been a hard-to-crack disease.\u201d<\/p>\n

Autoimmune diseases are complicated: More than 50 million Americans<\/a> suffer from 100 different autoimmune diseases<\/a> that include rheumatoid arthritis, type 1 diabetes, psoriasis, multiple sclerosis and lupus.<\/p>\n

But scientific breakthroughs are paying off, both at Big Pharmas and at biotech startups. Venture capitalists have been pouring money into the field\u2014a total of $2.1 billion of the total $9 billion-plus in biotech VC funding so far this year went to immune-system disorders, according to data from trade publication BioPharma Dive.<\/a> <\/p>\n

Skyrizi\u2019s skyrocketing sales since its first FDA approval in 2019 show the field\u2019s\u2013and AbbVie\u2019s\u2013strength. \u201cIt\u2019s completing the playbook they\u2019ve done with Humira,\u201d says Dan Chancellor, vp of thought leadership at Evaluate\u2019s parent company, Norstella, citing the wildly successful drug for an array of inflammatory diseases.<\/p>\n

Other immunology blockbusters include Sanofi\u2019s Dupixent used for eczema and asthma (projected sales over $20 billion, according to Evaluate), AbbVie\u2019s Rinvoq for 10-FDA approved indications including rheumatoid arthritis and atopic dermatitis ($17 billion) and argnx\u2019s Vyvgart for myasthenia gravis, a condition that disrupts communication between the body\u2019s nerves and muscles ($10 billion).<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are real breakthroughs in terms of identifying novel targets,\u201d says Karen Massey, CEO of $58 billion (market cap) argenx. \u201cIt\u2019s similar to oncology a decade or so ago.\u201d<\/p>\n

Still, as Norstella\u2019s Chancellor notes, what goes up eventually comes down, and newer breakthroughs are likely to be in more niche areas, like myasthenia gravis, rather than mega-blockbusters for common ailments like rheumatoid arthritis. \u201cWe\u2019re certainly still on the upswing for immunology, but the cycle will come to an end,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

How OpenAI Plans To Win Over Doctors, Hospitals And Patients<\/p>\n

OpenAI’s Sam Altman<\/p>\n

Getty Images<\/p>\n

When OpenAI wants to sell the country\u2019s biggest health systems on its healthcare ambitions, it often brings in one person a hospital CEO won\u2019t ignore: Sam Altman.<\/p>\n

Altman, 41, is OpenAI\u2019s billionaire cofounder, CEO and chief converter of skepticism into purchase orders. He has sold investors, boards of directors and governments on the idea that OpenAI is the engine of the next computing era. Now he is personally making that case to hospitals. <\/p>\n

Altman’s involvement in these sales calls underscores just how central healthcare is to OpenAI\u2019s ambitions. In January, the AI behemoth announced eight major health systems, including Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and HCA Healthcare, are now customers of its enterprise-grade healthcare tools. <\/p>\n

OpenAI has also tapped hundreds of doctors to make its health answers better for the more than 230 million people globally <\/a>who turn to ChatGPT for advice every week. It\u2019s rolling out a new version of ChatGPT for clinicians, as well as \u201cChatGPT Health,\u201d a tab within the main app that allows consumers to securely connect their medical records and their wellness apps, such as Apple Health and MyFitnessPal (it\u2019s waitlist-only currently). And its models power other health companies\u2019 tools to create clinical notes and help consumers understand their lab results. OpenAI has rolled out three new products focused on healthcare in the past six months alone.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is one of our most important verticals at OpenAI,\u201d says Nate Gross, who leads OpenAI\u2019s healthcare strategy. While the company is also making a play for other big markets like education and finance, Gross says, \u201ceveryone experiences health issues and this is an opportunity to help everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n

Healthcare, after all, represents some 18% of the entire U.S. economy. And AI has huge potential to help consumers make better decisions about their health, aid doctors in providing better care and assist health systems in running their operations more efficiently\u2014if it\u2019s done right.<\/p>\n

The company\u2019s sweeping push into healthcare comes at a make-or-break moment for the company, which reportedly lost $39 billion last year<\/a> on revenue of $13 billion. It filed confidentially to go public in June, but under pressure from investors is now said to be considering delaying its IPO<\/a> until next year.<\/p>\n

Read more here.<\/a><\/p>\n

Deal of the Week<\/p>\n

Vertex Pharmaceuticals agreed to buy Crinetics Pharmaceuticals for $10 billion<\/a> in cash, gaining a drug for a rare endocrine disorder. That medication, called Palsonify, launched commercially last September to treat acromegaly, a disease in which the pituitary gland produces too much growth hormone, causing some bones, organs and other tissues to grow bigger. Crinetics has other treatments for hormonal disorders in its pipeline, including for congenital adrenal hyperplasia. Vertex estimated that Crinetics\u2019 drugs have the potential to reach peak annual revenue of more than $5 billion.<\/a> The Boston-based company reported $12 billion in revenue last year, a 9% increase over 2024, largely on the strength of its therapies for cystic fibrosis. The deal is the largest in Vertex\u2019s history, and came together amid a torrid pace of biotech M&A this year.<\/a><\/p>\n

What We\u2019re Reading<\/p>\n

Efforts to help smokers quit stall<\/a> under Trump even as smoking remains the leading cause of preventable death and disease in the country.<\/p>\n

Online GLP-1 prescriptions are fast and easy to get online<\/a> with minimal clinical oversight, a secret shopper study<\/a> of 49 websites by researchers at Yale found.<\/p>\n

Obamacare insurers are seeking double-digit rate hikes again<\/a> as the loss of subsidies means fewer\u2014and less healthy\u2014enrollees remain.<\/p>\n

Kailera\u2019s obesity drug<\/a> meets its main goal in late-stage clinical trials in China. (For more on Kailera, read our 2025 magazine profile.)<\/a><\/p>\n

The FDA approved 23 drugs<\/a> in the first half of 2026\u2013the highest number in three years\u2013despite the Trump Administration\u2019s deep staff cuts to the agency.<\/p>\n

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