Oct 20 (Reuters) - AbbVie ( ABBV ) said on Monday its

newer arthritis drug Rinvoq showed superiority over the

company's previous bestseller Humira in a head-to-head .

AbbVie ( ABBV ) has been banking on its newer immunology drugs

Skyrizi and Rinvoq to counter the drop in Humira sales due to a

loss of exclusivity and competition from cheaper biosimilars.

Humira generated peak global sales of more than $21 billion in

2022 before it lost patent exclusivity in the U.S.

The study tested the two drugs in 492 patients with

rheumatoid arthritis. About 43.3% of patients receiving Rinvoq

saw an improvement in their condition compared with 22.4% of

patients on Humira, meeting the main goal of the trial.

The drug also met the trial's secondary goal, with 28.4% of

patients on Rinvoq showing no visible signs or symptoms of

rheumatoid arthritis compared with 14.5% of patients on Humira.

Rheumatoid arthritis occurs when the immune system

mistakenly attacks joints, creating inflammation that causes the

tissue inside the joints to thicken, damaging the bones. The

condition affects more than 17 million people worldwide,

according to AbbVie ( ABBV ).

The patients in the trial had been receiving methotrexate,

which is commonly used to treat autoimmune diseases such as

rheumatoid arthritis.

"These positive results strengthen the growing body of

evidence supporting the benefits of switching to a new mechanism

of action," said Andrew Anisfeld, vice president, global medical

affairs, immunology at AbbVie ( ABBV ).

AbbVie ( ABBV ) expects Rinvoq and Skyrizi to bring more than $31

billion in 2027 sales.