Jan 6 (Reuters) - AbbVie ( ABBV ) lowered its 2024

adjusted profit forecast on Monday as the drugmaker incurred

$1.6 billion in acquisition expenses related to milestone

payments as well as research-and-development costs.

The company has been focusing on expanding its pipeline

since its blockbuster arthritis drug, Humira, lost patent

protection last year.

To that end, AbbVie ( ABBV ) bought neuroscience drug developer

Cerevel Therapeutics, cancer drug developer ImmunoGen and

Alzheimer's therapy developer Aliada in 2024 through deals worth

over $20 billion in total.

The company forecast 2024 adjusted profit of $10.02 to

$10.06 per share, compared with its previous forecast of $10.90

to $10.94. Analysts on average expect $10.94, according to data

compiled by LSEG.

It also expects fourth-quarter adjusted profit of $2.06 to

$2.10 per share, compared with $2.79 reported last year.

AbbVie ( ABBV ) is scheduled to report fourth-quarter earnings on

Jan. 31.

(Reporting by Puyaan Singh in Bengaluru; Editing by Devika

Syamnath)