Akebia, Otsuka collaborate on drug to treat chronic kidney disease-induced anemia

Akebia Therapeutics Inc. and Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. recently entered a collaboration and license agreement in the U.S. for vadadustat, an oral hypoxia-inducible factor stabilizer in development for the treatment of anemia associated with chronic kidney disease (CKD).
“Vadadustat has the potential to significantly change the current standard of care for patients with anemia associated with CKD and addresses a high unmet need for those suffering with this disease,” Tatsuo Higuchi, president and representative director of Otsuka, said.  “With Akebia’s renal expertise, this collaboration will enable Otsuka to expand our cardio-renal portfolio while demonstrating our commitment to delivering new treatment options to patients worldwide.”
In a news release, the companies noted that anemia related to CKD affects roughly 1.8 million U.S. patients. It occurs when the kidney fails to produce adequate amounts of erythropoietin, a key hormone stimulating the production of red blood cells.
“This collaboration achieves our goal of funding our global PRO2TECT and INNO2VATE Phase 3 studies for vadadustat while retaining significant long-term value for Akebia,” Akebia President and CEO John Butler said. “Our alliance with Otsuka, one of the world’s innovative pharmaceutical leaders, also allows us to prepare an optimal launch of vadadustat, as we will equally share commercial responsibility.”