On May 22, 2024, AbbVie, Inc. filed a notice of data breach with the Attorney General of Texas after discovering that confidential information that had been entrusted to the company was subject to unauthorized access. In this notice, AbbVie explains that the incident resulted in an unauthorized party being able to access consumers’ sensitive information, which includes their names, addresses, dates of birth and medical information. Upon completing its investigation, AbbVie began sending out data breach notification letters to all individuals whose information was affected by the recent data security incident.
If you received a data breach notification from AbbVie, Inc., it is essential you understand what is at risk and what you can do about it. A data breach lawyer can help you learn more about how to protect yourself from becoming a victim of fraud or identity theft, as well as discuss your legal options following the AbbVie data breach. For more information, please see our recent piece on the topic here.
What Caused the AbbVie Data Breach?
The AbbVie data breach was only recently announced, and more information is expected in the near future. Unfortunately, AbbVie’s filing with the Attorney General of Texas provides only limited information on what led up to the breach. According to this source, AbbVie recently learned that information that had been provided to the company by consumers had been leaked. However, this does not necessarily mean that AbbVie’s IT network was breached because hackers could have obtained the information by targeting one of AbbVie’s third-party vendors.
In fact, several other large pharmaceutical companies have reported third-party data breaches this week. These breaches were related to an incident at Lash Group, an affiliate of the larger Cencora. And, while we cannot confirm that the AbbVie data breach is also related to the incident at Lash Group / Cencora, it is a possibility based on the fact that AbbVie is also a pharmaceutical company that filed notice of a data breach within the same week.
Regardless, after learning that sensitive consumer data was accessible to an unauthorized party, AbbVie reviewed the compromised files to determine what information was leaked and which consumers were impacted. While the breached information varies depending on the individual, it may include your name, address, date of birth and medical information.
On May 22, 2024, AbbVie filed notice of the breach with the Texas Attorney General. Typically, this is around the time a breached company sends out data breach letters to those whose information was leaked as a result of the incident; however, the timeline in the AbbVie breach may be different. Regardless, these letters should provide victims with a list of the information that was compromised.
More Information About AbbVie, Inc.
AbbVie, Inc. is a research-based biopharmaceutical company based in Chicago, Illinois. AbbVie medication treats more than 75 conditions, and the company heavily invests in research and development. In 2023, alone, AbbVie invested $7.8 billion in R&D. AbbVie’s flagship product is Humira, which is approved to treat autoimmune diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn's disease, plaque psoriasis, and ulcerative colitis. AbbVie employs more than 55,000 people and generates approximately $55 billion in annual revenue.
