The Role of Patient Advocacy in Shaping AbbVie's Cancer Therapies

In an interview with Pharmaceutical Executive, Pedro Valencia, VP, asset strategy leadership, oncology, AbbVie, discussed the company’s expanding efforts in solid tumors, a space where it is still relatively new compared to its established presence in hematologic cancers. Speaking on the sidelines of the 2025 ASCO Annual Meeting, Valencia outlined AbbVie’s strategy for prioritizing tumor types and investigational therapies within its pipeline, emphasizing a data-driven, patient-centric approach. From recent antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) approvals to promising early signals in rare neuroendocrine tumors, AbbVie is rapidly evolving its oncology footprint with the goal of transforming treatment paradigms and reducing reliance on traditional chemotherapy.

Pharmaceutical Executive: Many of the tumors studied are difficult-to-treat and often have limited options—how does AbbVie integrate patient advocacy and unmet need assessments into early development decisions?

Pedro Valencia: Every time we develop a molecule in oncology—or really in any therapeutic area, but especially oncology—it has to be a partnership. This partnership involves AbbVie, our scientists, clinicians, academic institutions, and importantly, patient advocacy groups. These groups help us truly understand the unmet needs in the field. Beyond traditional endpoints like overall survival and progression-free survival, patient advocacy helps us grasp what really matters to patients.

For example, with our ovarian cancer antibody-drug conjugate (ADC), while we see clear survival benefits compared to chemotherapy, patient groups have highlighted another important advantage: our molecule prevents alopecia. For women battling ovarian cancer, not losing their hair during treatment is a significant benefit. They can maintain their dignity and sense of normalcy through therapy, which is incredibly meaningful.

These insights shape our development plans to ensure no patient is left behind. Another reason we're focusing on neuroendocrine tumors is the substantial unmet need in these rare populations. Our goal is to work closely with patients and advocacy groups to bring effective medicines to them as quickly as possible.

Full Interview Summary: At the 2025 ASCO meeting, AbbVie highlighted its growing commitment to solid tumors by outlining how it prioritizes development within its oncology pipeline. While historically focused on hematologic malignancies, the company is now building momentum in solid tumors with an emphasis on unmet need, scientific opportunity, and potential for pipeline impact. AbbVie’s three current priority areas in solid tumors are gastrointestinal (especially colorectal), gynecologic (notably ovarian), and lung cancers. Recent approvals, including mirvetuximab for ovarian cancer and Teliso-V (telisotuzumab vedotin) for non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), mark significant progress.

Temab-A (and Teliso-V) targets c-Met, a protein overexpressed in multiple cancers, including lung, colorectal, pancreatic, and head and neck cancers. Its broad expression makes c-Met a strong target for tumor-agnostic development, akin to HER2 or PD-1 therapies. AbbVie is exploring this approach with Temab-A in a trial spanning at least seven tumor types, including lung and colorectal cancers being the most advanced.

Another investigational therapy, ABBV-706, targets SEZ6, a lineage marker in neuroendocrine tumors, including small cell lung cancer (SCLC). Data presented at ASCO showed encouraging response rates of 30–50% in rare neuroendocrine tumors—substantially higher than typical chemotherapy response rates. AbbVie plans to expand 706 into late-stage studies for SCLC and explore other neuroendocrine populations.

Patient advocacy is central to AbbVie’s strategy, helping inform development priorities beyond survival endpoints. For example, patient feedback highlighted Elahere’s ability to avoid alopecia as a significant benefit.

Key near-term milestones include pivotal trial launches and data readouts across lung (EGFR-mutant and wild-type NSCLC, SCLC), GI (colorectal and pancreatic), and gynecologic cancers. AbbVie also plans to expand next-generation ADCs, aiming to broaden activity across varying levels of FRα expression and further reduce chemotherapy reliance.