ABBV
Europe just gave AbbVie a thumbs-up
AbbVie’s Allergan Aesthetics unit got a positive opinion from the EMA’s CHMP for Boey® (trenibotulinumtoxinE), a treatment aimed at temporary improvement of moderate to severe glabellar lines — aka the “11s” between your eyebrows that appear when life, email, and bad news all team up on your face.
The company says the recommendation covers 30 EU and EEA markets. If the European Commission follows through, Boey could become the first and only botulinum neurotoxin serotype E available for this use in adults with an important psychological impact.
Why investors should care
This isn’t revenue in the bank yet, but it’s the kind of regulatory breadcrumb investors watch closely. A positive CHMP opinion can help de-risk the launch path in Europe, and for AbbVie that means more optionality in aesthetics — a business that’s become a bigger part of the company’s post-Humira identity.
The speed-run beauty treatment
AbbVie says the recommendation is backed by two Phase 3 trials showing results as early as 8 hours and a duration of 2–3 weeks. That’s fast, and also pretty short-lived by the standards of most blockbuster aesthetic products, so the real test will be whether doctors and patients think the tradeoff is worth it.
Big picture: AbbVie keeps trying to turn Allergan Aesthetics into more than just the Botox sequel nobody asked for. A European win here could help the company keep building a sturdier growth engine while the rest of the portfolio does its thing.