AbbVie Wins U.S. Approval for Endometriosis Pain Treatment

  • Elagolix allowed for use by women with gynecological disorder
  • Orilissa could be next big hit for drugmaker after Humira
Photographer: Sara Hylton/Bloomberg
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AbbVie Inc. won U.S. approval for an oral medicine that treats pain caused by the gynecological disorder endometriosis, a step toward giving the maker of the blockbuster arthritis treatment Humira another potential billion-dollar sales hit.

The Food and Drug Administration has approved elagolix to treat pain associated with endometriosis, a common condition in which the tissue that lines the uterus grows in other parts of the body. It’s the first such treatment approved in more than a decade, the company said Tuesday in a statementBloomberg Terminal. Marketed under the brand name Orilissa, the medicine should be available in pharmacies at the beginning of August, the drugmaker said.