AbbVie announced the presentation of 20 new scientific abstracts at the 2026 United European Gastroenterology Week in Barcelona, Spain, highlighting long-term and real-world outcomes for SKYRIZI and RINVOQ in treating inflammatory bowel disease.
Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis are chronic, lifelong conditions, and understanding how patients respond to treatment over time and in everyday clinical practice is critical, according to Sofie Berg, therapeutic area head for immunology at AbbVie international medical affairs. The data presented build on a growing body of evidence aimed at helping clinicians achieve favorable long-term outcomes for patients.
In Plain English: The Clinical Takeaway
- SKYRIZI (risankizumab): An interleukin-23 inhibitor that selectively blocks the p19 subunit of IL-23, a cytokine involved in inflammatory processes. It is studied and approved for conditions including plaque psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis, Crohn’s disease, and ulcerative colitis.
- RINVOQ (upadacitinib): A selective and reversible JAK (Janus kinase) inhibitor discovered and developed by AbbVie scientists to treat several immune-mediated inflammatory diseases.
- Endoscopic Remission: Healing of the intestinal lining confirmed via visual examination through an endoscope, representing a stringent benchmark for controlling inflammatory bowel disease beyond mere symptom relief.
Long-Term Data Outlines Multiyear Outcomes in Ulcerative Colitis and Crohn’s Disease
In data presented for ulcerative colitis, the COMMAND study showed that SKYRIZI achieved sustained clinical and endoscopic outcomes up to three years of maintenance treatment. For Crohn’s disease, U-ENDURE as-observed analyses showed that upadacitinib maintained clinical and endoscopic outcomes through approximately four years of treatment. At Week 144, clinical remission was achieved by 78.9% of patients receiving 15 mg and 86.6% of patients receiving 30 mg. Endoscopic remission was reached by 47.1% and 64.2% of patients in those respective dosing groups.
$ABBV AbbVie: New SKYRIZI and RINVOQ Data Show Sustained Disease Control in Inflammatory Bowel Disease⠀• Phase 3 AFFIRM: SKYRIZI achieved significantly higher clinical remission and endoscopic response vs. placebo at Week 12.• SKYRIZI extension studies showed sustained…
Additional presentations expanded on findings from the Phase 3 AFFIRM study evaluating subcutaneous risankizumab induction and maintenance in Crohn’s disease. These analyses examined outcomes grouped by prior advanced therapy exposure and further characterized patients who responded to subcutaneous risankizumab induction and continued therapy. Furthermore, investigational dual-targeting therapy ABBV-466 was evaluated for endoscopic remission in moderate-to-severe Crohn’s disease through primary results from the Phase 2a TARGET-CD study.
| Therapy | Condition | Trial / Study | Key Outcome Metric |
|---|---|---|---|
| SKYRIZI (180mg) | Ulcerative Colitis | COMMAND (Week 96) | As-observed clinical remission: 54.0%–73.1%; endoscopic remission: 38.8%–53.5% |
| RINVOQ (15mg / 30mg) | Crohn’s Disease | U-ENDURE (Week 144) | Clinical remission: 78.9% (15mg) and 86.6% (30mg); endoscopic remission: 47.1% and 64.2% |
| RINVOQ | Crohn’s Disease | UPlift (12 Weeks) | Clinical response achieved by 70.2% of evaluable patients (N=497) within 12 weeks |
Real-World Evidence and TNF Inhibitor Switching Insights
Real-world insights from the UPlift study showed that 70.2% of evaluable patients with moderate to severe Crohn’s disease achieved a clinical response with upadacitinib within 12 weeks, with a median time to first response of 13 days, news.abbvie.com reported.
On August 27, AbbVie announced the submission of an application to the European Medicines Agency seeking approval of SKYRIZI for subcutaneous induction in adult patients with moderately to severely active Crohn’s disease. SKYRIZI is co-developed globally by AbbVie and Boehringer Ingelheim, with AbbVie leading commercialization.
Contraindications & When to Consult a Doctor
Risankizumab is contraindicated in patients with hypersensitivity to the active substance or any excipients, as well as in patients with clinically important active infections such as active tuberculosis. Treatment should not be initiated in patients with active infections until they resolve. Patients must be evaluated for tuberculosis prior to initiating treatment and monitored for signs and symptoms during therapy. Live vaccinations should be avoided during risankizumab treatment and for at least 21 weeks after discontinuation. Frequently reported adverse reactions include upper respiratory infections, tinea infections, headache, pruritus, rash, eczema, fatigue, and injection site reactions. Patients experiencing signs of chronic or acute infection should seek immediate medical advice.
References
- European Medicines Agency (EMA). Skyrizi Summary of Product Characteristics (SmPC). Available via www.ema.europa.eu.
- United European Gastroenterology (UEG) Week 2026 Congress Programme. Available via UEG Programme.
