Skyrizi Shortage: What Providers and Prescribers Need to Know in 2026

Skyrizi (risankizumab) is not on the FDA Drug Shortage list as of 2026. Manufacturing by AbbVie remains stable and specialty pharmacy distribution is intact. However, your patients will frequently encounter significant access barriers that are administrative and financial in nature—not supply-side. As a prescriber, understanding these barriers and knowing how to proactively address them is essential for ensuring continuity of care.

Current Skyrizi Supply Status

As of 2026, Skyrizi is commercially available in all FDA-approved forms: the 150 mg/mL prefilled pen and syringe for subcutaneous self-injection (used for plaque psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis maintenance), the 600 mg/10 mL IV vial for IBD induction doses, and the 180 mg/1.2 mL and 360 mg/2.4 mL prefilled cartridges with on-body injectors for IBD maintenance. None of these formulations are listed as scarce or on allocation through specialty pharmacy networks.

Primary Access Barriers Your Patients Face

The following administrative barriers are the most common reasons patients cannot fill Skyrizi prescriptions despite drug availability:

Prior Authorization Failures: PA is required universally for Skyrizi. The most common denial reasons are: missing TB screening documentation, insufficient disease severity metrics (PASI, BSA, HBI, Mayo score), and inadequate prior treatment failure documentation. Ensure your PA submissions include TB evaluation results, complete disease activity scores, photographs or clinical notes documenting severity, and a full medication history with specific dates and outcomes for all prior therapies.

Step Therapy Requirements: Most commercial insurers and some Medicare plans require failure of a conventional therapy or TNF inhibitor before approving Skyrizi. For psoriasis and PsA, this often means documented failure of methotrexate and/or a TNF inhibitor such as adalimumab or etanercept. For IBD, conventional therapy failure (corticosteroids, immunomodulators) is typically required. Requesting a step therapy exception with documented clinical justification—such as contraindications, prior adverse events, or specific clinical characteristics—can bypass this requirement when appropriate.

PA Renewal Lapses: Most plans require PA renewal every 6–12 months. Patients who are doing well on Skyrizi—and therefore may have fewer office visits—are at risk of having their PA lapse without noticing. Build PA renewal tracking into your office's workflow and initiate renewals at least 30 days before expiration.

Specialty Pharmacy Routing Errors: Sending a Skyrizi prescription to the wrong specialty pharmacy delays dispensing. Each payer has a contracted specialty pharmacy network (e.g., Aetna requires CVS Specialty). Your prior authorization forms should specify the correct network pharmacy, and your staff should confirm the required pharmacy at the time of PA submission.

Proactive Steps to Streamline Skyrizi Access

Complete TB evaluation before writing the prescription: Screen all patients for tuberculosis before initiating Skyrizi (a PA requirement for most plans). IGRA or TST results must be on file and documented in the PA submission.

Document disease severity quantitatively: Record PASI, sPGA, BSA for psoriasis; HAQ-DI, ACR scores for PsA; CDAI, SES-CD for Crohn's; Mayo or partial Mayo for UC. Quantitative metrics improve PA success rates.

Enroll patients in Skyrizi Complete: Have your office enroll patients in AbbVie's Skyrizi Complete program at the time of prescribing. The program provides dedicated insurance specialists, PA navigation support, and a bridge program that can supply Skyrizi at no charge for eligible patients experiencing insurance delays (5+ business day delays or denials, for commercially insured patients ≤63 years). Call 1-866-SKYRIZI or submit the enrollment form to AbbVie.

Submit peer-to-peer review requests promptly after denial: Prescriber-initiated peer-to-peer reviews are among the most effective tools for reversing PA denials. Request these immediately after a denial—don't wait for the patient to initiate the appeal process.

Implement a PA expiration tracking system: Track PA expiration dates for all patients on specialty biologics. Set a 30-day lead time reminder so renewals are submitted before coverage lapses.

When to Consider Alternatives

If a patient faces an extended coverage gap (>4–6 weeks), consider bridge therapy with a clinically appropriate alternative. For psoriasis or PsA, other IL-23 inhibitors (Tremfya, Ilumya), Stelara or its biosimilars, or IL-17 inhibitors may be options depending on the patient's history. For IBD, options include Tremfya, Omvoh, Entyvio, or Stelara biosimilars. See our complete breakdown of Skyrizi alternatives for clinical comparison details.

Supporting Your Patients Through Access Challenges

When your patients are struggling to track down their Skyrizi prescription, medfinder for providers can assist by calling pharmacies on the patient's behalf to identify which ones can fill the prescription and communicate results directly to the patient. This reduces administrative burden on your office while providing patients with timely information they need.