SHARx Files Defamation Suit Against AbbVie

ST. LOUIS–(BUSINESS WIRE)–SHARx, LLC, a white-glove patient advocacy organization helping members access high-cost and specialty medications at affordable prices, filed suit in Cook County, Illinois court last week, citing Defamation, Deceptive Business Practices and Tortious Interference. The suit, which was assigned to Judge Mary Roberts, comes 11 months after AbbVie sent letters to patients and industry executives that discouraged them from doing business with SHARx and named them in PAP (Patient Assistance Program) documents as a company that was ineligible to provide application assistance. AbbVie also named SHARx in a lawsuit in which SHARx is not a defendant, causing SHARx to miss out on a merger that would have increased its national reach and helped reduce prescription expenses for thousands of Americans.

“For six years AbbVie accepted nearly every application our team submitted on behalf of our underinsured members. Without ever contacting SHARx, they cut off our patients, disregarding the needs of those who qualify for their program by their own standards,” said SHARx CEO Corey Durbin. “Companies like AbbVie use bullying tactics to protect their profit-rich turf. Healthcare should work for everyone. SHARx is proud to stand up to their bullying on behalf of our members and clients,” he continued.

SHARx works with companies to help their employees get access to lifesaving and life-altering medications that are not covered under their employer health plan. SHARx provides multiple sourcing options, including the Patient Assistance Programs of companies like AbbVie.

“AbbVie has raised the price on just one drug, Humira, countless times since it came out in 2003. It now costs $84,000 per year. That is more than the average income for a family of four in the United States,” continued Durbin. “Meanwhile AbbVie makes record profits and they bully anyone who is trying to make a difference for American families in desperate need.”

The 17 top-selling drugs in 2020 produced more revenue in the United States ($101 billion) than in the rest of the world combined ($57 billion). AbbVie’s Humira alone reaped more than $16 billion in U.S. revenue, more than quadruple the rest of the world combined. The United States is subsidizing the health of the world on the backs of those who can ill afford it.

“The healthcare system in this country is broken. The greed of big pharma and the disincentives for other industry players to make changes have forced SHARx to be the one to act on behalf of employers and families,” said Durbin. “We will not stop until every American has access to the lifesaving and life-altering medicines they need at a reasonable price.”

Harry Arger of Dykema Gossett in Chicago, IL is lead counsel and Krystal Weigl of Weigl Law in St. Louis, MO is co-counsel for SHARx.