Higher Humira Sales Boost AbbVie Profit

U.S. drugmaker AbbVie Inc reported a better-than-expected quarterly adjusted profit due to higher sales of its autoimmune disease drug Humira.

The company reported a net loss of $810 million, or 51 cents per share, in the fourth quarter due to a charge from calling off a $55 billion deal to buy British drugmaker Shire Plc .

Excluding special items, AbbVie earned 89 cents per share. Analysts on average had expected 86 cents per share, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S. (Reporting by Ransdell Pierson; Editing by Don Sebastian)