Abbvie has a window of vulnerability before 2nd gen approval. Even if the 2nd gen program turns out to be very competitive, they need to provide the shortest period transition from the 1st gen to the 2nd gen programs in order to keep their contracts to ESRX, or to possibly gain new exclusive contracts.
It's all about getting it to market sooner. We have seen several HCV drug programs fight for expedited reviews.
IF other companies have winning programs (such as successful nuke combination trials w/ JNJ or MRK) there will really be a lot of scrambling for market share.