AbbVie to Present New Clinical and Real-World Evidence Advancing Care Standards in Immune-Mediated Skin Diseases at the AAD Annual Meeting 2026
AbbVie has announced a comprehensive slate of new research findings spanning its dermatology portfolio, set to be presented at the American Academy of Dermatology Annual Meeting 2026. The annual meeting, taking place from March 27 to March 31 in Denver, Colorado, represents one of the most influential global forums for dermatology research, clinical advancements, and scientific exchange.
At this year’s congress, AbbVie will showcase a total of 24 abstracts, including a late-breaking presentation, highlighting the company’s continued investment in advancing treatment standards across a spectrum of immune-mediated skin diseases. The breadth of data reflects a multifaceted approach to dermatology innovation—encompassing long-term clinical trial outcomes, real-world evidence, patient-reported measures, and investigational therapies that could shape the next generation of care.
Reinforcing Leadership in Dermatology Innovation
The company’s presence at AAD 2026 underscores its strategic focus on delivering therapies that not only demonstrate strong efficacy but also sustain long-term disease control while maintaining favorable safety profiles. Across its portfolio, AbbVie is emphasizing the importance of durable responses—an increasingly critical benchmark in chronic dermatologic conditions where patients often experience relapsing disease and incomplete remission.
Andrew Anisfeld, Ph.D., Vice President of Global Medical Affairs in Immunology at AbbVie, highlighted the significance of the data being presented. He noted that the company’s research reinforces a broader shift in dermatology toward treatments capable of redefining expectations for both clinicians and patients.
According to Anisfeld, the combined clinical and real-world evidence for therapies such as risankizumab and upadacitinib demonstrates AbbVie’s commitment to improving patient outcomes through sustained efficacy, long-term safety, and meaningful improvements in quality of life. These factors, he emphasized, are essential for shaping future treatment paradigms in immune-mediated skin disorders.
Long-Term Outcomes in Chronic Inflammatory Diseases
A key focus of AbbVie’s AAD presentations is the evaluation of long-term outcomes in chronic inflammatory conditions such as psoriatic arthritis and atopic dermatitis. These diseases require ongoing management, making durability of response and safety over extended periods critical considerations.
One of the notable analyses examines five-year data from the Phase 3 KEEPsAKE-1 trial evaluating risankizumab in psoriatic arthritis. The findings demonstrate that 88% of patients maintained radiographic non-progression—defined as minimal or no structural joint damage progression—through week 244. This outcome is particularly significant, as preventing long-term joint damage is a central goal in managing psoriatic arthritis and preserving patient mobility and quality of life.
In parallel, AbbVie is presenting extensive long-term safety data for upadacitinib in moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis. Drawing from the Measure Up 1, Measure Up 2, and AD Up Phase 3 trials, the integrated analysis includes 2,683 patients and represents more than 9,000 patient-years of exposure.
The results indicate that the safety profile of upadacitinib remains consistent across different age groups, particularly among patients under 65 years of age. While certain adverse events of special interest were observed at higher rates in older populations (≥65 years), the overall safety findings were in line with expectations. Notably, no major cardiovascular adverse events were reported among adolescents and younger adults aged 12 to 49, providing reassurance regarding the therapy’s long-term tolerability in these populations.
Real-World Evidence and Quality of Life Improvements
Beyond controlled clinical trials, AbbVie is also presenting real-world data that offer insights into how therapies perform in routine clinical practice. These findings are especially valuable, as they reflect diverse patient populations and real-life treatment scenarios.
Data from the AD-VISE study highlight the impact of upadacitinib on disease activity and quality of life in patients with atopic dermatitis. The analysis shows that patients achieving minimal disease activity experienced substantially better outcomes in terms of quality of life. Specifically, 72.3% of these patients reached Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) scores of 0 or 1, indicating little to no impact of the disease on daily living.
In comparison, only 21.7% of patients meeting moderate treatment targets and 9.9% of those not meeting treatment targets achieved similar quality-of-life outcomes. These findings underscore the importance of striving for higher treatment targets, as deeper levels of disease control are closely linked to improved patient well-being.
Further analysis within the AD-VISE study examined treatment responses across different body regions. The results showed that more than half of patients achieved EASI-90 (a 90% improvement in disease severity) in challenging areas such as the head and neck after six months of treatment. Importantly, these responses were consistent regardless of prior biologic therapy exposure, suggesting that upadacitinib can be effective across a broad range of patient histories.
Advancing Psoriasis Treatment Goals
AbbVie’s research also highlights advancements in the treatment of psoriasis, particularly in achieving higher levels of skin clearance and improving patient-reported outcomes.
A subgroup analysis from the IMMpactful trial compared risankizumab with deucravacitinib in biologic-naïve patients with moderate plaque psoriasis. At 16 weeks, patients treated with risankizumab achieved significantly higher rates of skin clearance, with 57.3% reaching PASI 90 and 27.5% achieving PASI 100, compared to 22.9% and 6.5%, respectively, for deucravacitinib.
These improvements translated into meaningful benefits in symptom resolution and quality of life. A greater proportion of patients receiving risankizumab reported minimal symptoms and improved quality of life, as measured by the Psoriasis Symptom Scale and DLQI scores. These findings reinforce the link between higher treatment targets and better overall patient outcomes.
Addressing High-Burden Psoriasis Areas
Certain forms of psoriasis, such as genital and scalp psoriasis, are associated with disproportionately high physical and psychological burden. Patients with these conditions often experience significant discomfort, social stigma, and mental health challenges.
The Phase 4 UnlIMMited trial evaluates the efficacy and safety of risankizumab in these high-impact areas. Results from a 16-week analysis demonstrate substantial improvements in quality of life, with 72% to 88.9% of patients with genital psoriasis and 83.3% to 100% of those with scalp psoriasis achieving DLQI scores of 0 or 1.
These findings highlight the potential of targeted therapies to address areas of unmet need and improve outcomes for patients with particularly challenging disease presentations.
In a related regulatory milestone, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently approved an update to the prescribing information for risankizumab, incorporating efficacy and safety data from the UnlIMMited program. This update reflects the growing body of evidence supporting the therapy’s use across diverse psoriasis subtypes.
Expanding into New Therapeutic Areas
AbbVie’s AAD presentations also include late-stage investigational data that could expand the therapeutic applications of its dermatology portfolio.
A late-breaking presentation will feature results from the Phase 3 Viti-Up studies evaluating upadacitinib in patients with non-segmental vitiligo. These studies represent the first Phase 3 trials investigating a systemic treatment for this condition, which is characterized by depigmentation of the skin due to loss of melanocytes.
The data will assess improvements in both total body and facial repigmentation, offering new insights into the potential role of systemic therapies in vitiligo. While upadacitinib is not currently approved for this indication, the findings could pave the way for new treatment options in a field with limited effective therapies.
In addition, analyses from the Phase 3 UP-AA clinical program are exploring the use of upadacitinib in severe alopecia areata, an autoimmune condition that leads to hair loss. At 24 weeks, a significantly higher proportion of patients treated with upadacitinib achieved meaningful hair regrowth, as measured by the Severity of Alopecia Tool (SALT ≤20), compared to placebo.
The results were particularly notable at higher doses, with response rates reaching over 80% in adolescents and exceeding 50% in adults in some study arms. Importantly, no new safety signals were observed, supporting the continued evaluation of upadacitinib in this indication.
Comprehensive Scientific Program at AAD 2026
AbbVie’s presence at the American Academy of Dermatology Annual Meeting 2026 includes a diverse array of presentations, ranging from ePosters to oral sessions and late-breaking abstracts.
Key highlights include:
- Long-term efficacy of risankizumab in preventing radiographic progression in psoriatic arthritis (5-year KEEPsAKE-1 data)
- Six-year safety analysis of upadacitinib in atopic dermatitis across age groups
- Real-world outcomes from the AD-VISE study, including quality-of-life improvements and regional efficacy
- Comparative results from the IMMpactful trial in psoriasis
- Quality-of-life outcomes from the UnlIMMited trial in genital and scalp psoriasis
- Late-breaking Phase 3 data from the Viti-Up studies in vitiligo
- Subgroup analyses from the UP-AA program in alopecia areata
These presentations collectively illustrate the depth and breadth of AbbVie’s dermatology research and its commitment to addressing a wide range of patient needs.
Shaping the Future of Dermatologic Care
The data being presented at AAD 2026 reflect a broader evolution in dermatology toward more personalized, targeted, and outcome-driven care. By focusing on sustained efficacy, long-term safety, and quality-of-life improvements, AbbVie is contributing to a shift in how success is defined in the treatment of immune-mediated skin diseases.
As new therapies continue to emerge and existing treatments are refined, the goal is increasingly to achieve not just symptom control, but durable remission and meaningful improvements in patients’ daily lives.
Through its extensive research program and ongoing investment in innovation, AbbVie is positioning itself at the forefront of this transformation. The insights shared at the American Academy of Dermatology Annual Meeting 2026 are expected to inform clinical practice, guide future research, and ultimately help redefine standards of care in dermatology.
About SKYRIZI® (risankizumab-rzaa)
SKYRIZI is an interleukin-23 (IL-23) inhibitor that blocks IL-23 by selectively binding to its p19 subunit. IL-23, a cytokine involved in inflammatory processes, is thought to be linked to a number of chronic immune-mediated diseases. SKYRIZI is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of moderately to severely active ulcerative colitis, plaque psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis and Crohn’s disease.3
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