Here's How AbbVie's Oncology Drugs are Aiding Top-line Growth
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December 11, 2025 — 07:49 am EST Written by Sundeep Ganoria for Zacks-> AbbVie ABBV has been significantly expanding its presence in the oncology space. What started initially as a two-drug franchise consisting of blood cancer drugs Imbruvica and Venclexta has also branched out into solid tumors. The company’s latest offerings now include Epkinly (for lymphoma), Elahere (for ovarian cancer) and, most recently, Emrelis (for lung cancer). Sales of the oncology segment accounted for more than 11% of AbbVie’s total revenues in the first nine months of 2025, which grew 3% year over year.This expansion is driven by a combination of both organic and inorganic strategies. While Emrelis is AbbVie’s first internally developed solid tumor drug, Epkinly and Elahere were added to the company’s portfolio through acquisitions or collaborations. Sales of these newer drugs, combined with the steadily rising Venclexta sales, have helped more than offset the fall in Imbruvica sales, which have been declining due to stiff competition from novel oral therapies.The company also has an exciting and diverse pipeline of promising new therapies across both blood cancers and solid tumors. AbbVie is strengthening its portfolio of oncology medicines with the addition of antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), which are being considered a disruptive innovation in the pharmaceutical industry. ADCs allow better treatment of cancer by harnessing the targeting power of antibodies to deliver cytotoxic molecule drugs to tumors.A regulatory filing is currently under FDA review seeking approval for the ADC therapy pivekimab sunirine to treat a rare blood cancer called blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm (BPDCN). If approved, this could be the third ADC in AbbVie’s portfolio, joining Elahere and Emrelis. The company is also developing an investigational ADC called Temab-A (formerly ABBV-400) in a late-stage study for metastatic colorectal cancer and in separate mid-stage studies for gastroesophageal and lung cancers.AbbVie is also developing oncology therapies beyond ADC. A key candidate in the company’s pipeline is etentamig/ABBV-383, a BCMA x CD3 bispecific being developed in a late-stage study for relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma. AbbVie is also conducting label expansion studies on its approved products to strengthen its oncology footprint further.Other large players in the oncology segment are AstraZeneca AZN, Merck MRK and Pfizer PFE.For AstraZeneca, oncology sales now account for 43% of total revenues. Sales in its oncology segment rose 16% year over year in the first nine months of 2025, driven by strong performance of medicines such as Tagrisso, Lynparza, Imfinzi, Calquence and Enhertu (in partnership with Daiichi Sankyo).Merck’s key oncology medicines are PD-L1 inhibitor, Keytruda and PARP inhibitor, Lynparza, which it markets in partnership with AstraZeneca. Keytruda, approved for several types of cancer, alone accounted for about 48% of MRK’s total revenues in the first nine months of 2025.Pfizer’s oncology revenues grew 7% in the first nine months of 2025, driven by drugs like Xtandi, Lorbrena, the Braftovi-Mektovi combination and Padcev. The segment now accounts for more than 27% of Pfizer’s total revenues.Shares of AbbVie have outperformed the industry year to date, as seen in the chart below.Image Source: Zacks Investment ResearchFrom a valuation standpoint, AbbVie is trading at a slight discount to the industry. Based on the price/earnings (P/E) ratio, the company’s shares currently trade at 15.87 times forward earnings compared to the industry's average of 16.31. The stock is trading above its five-year mean of 13.44.Image Source: Zacks Investment ResearchEPS estimates for 2025 and 2026 have declined in the past 60 days.Image Source: Zacks Investment ResearchAbbVie currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. The next phase of the AI explosion is poised to create significant wealth for investors, especially those who get in early. It will add literally trillion of dollars to the economy and revolutionize nearly every part of our lives. Investors who bought shares like Nvidia at the right time have had a shot at huge gains. But the rocket ride in the "first wave" of AI stocks may soon come to an end. The sharp upward trajectory of these stocks will begin to level off, leaving exponential growth to a new wave of cutting-edge companies. Zacks' AI Boom 2.0: The Second Wave report reveals 4 under-the-radar companies that may soon be shining stars of AI’s next leap forward.Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free reportAstraZeneca PLC (AZN) : Free Stock Analysis ReportPfizer Inc. (PFE) : Free Stock Analysis ReportMerck & Co., Inc. (MRK) : Free Stock Analysis ReportAbbVie Inc. (ABBV) : Free Stock Analysis ReportThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).Zacks Investment ResearchThe views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.This data feed is not available at this time.