AbbVie hands back headline drug in $63B Allergan buyout to Molecular Partners after FDA rejection. What's next?

One of the programs that headlined AbbVie’s $63 billion acquisition of Allergan is being returned to its developers after an FDA rejection last year.

AbbVie has terminated the license and collaboration agreement it had with Switzerland’s Molecular Partners for abicipar, the companies announced Monday, an experimental drug aimed to treat neovascular age-related macular degeneration and diabetic macular edema. Abicipar was rejected by the FDA in June 2020 due to what AbbVie said was an unfavorable benefit-risk ratio, according to its description of the CRL.