Once-Daily Oral HIF-PH Inhibitor Activates Physiologic Response to Manage Anemia
Akebia’s Launch Strategy Developed to Drive Toward a Potential New Oral Standard of Care
CAMBRIDGE, MA, USA I March 27, 2024 I Akebia Therapeutics®, Inc. (Nasdaq: AKBA), a biopharmaceutical company with the purpose to better the lives of people impacted by kidney disease, today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Vafseo® (vadadustat) Tablets for the treatment of anemia due to chronic kidney disease (CKD) in adults who have been receiving dialysis for at least three months. Vafseo is a once-daily oral hypoxia-inducible factor prolyl hydroxylase (HIF-PH) inhibitor that activates the physiologic response to hypoxia to stimulate endogenous production of erythropoietin to manage anemia. Vafseo is now approved in 37 countries.
“With the approval of Vafseo in the U.S., we’re proud to deliver an alternative treatment option for the hundreds of thousands of Americans on dialysis who are diagnosed with anemia due to CKD,” said John P. Butler, Chief Executive Officer of Akebia. “At Akebia we are committed to kidney patients, a dedication that has driven our team to achieve this milestone. We believe this commitment uniquely positions the company to execute a successful launch designed to drive toward a potential new oral standard of care for dialysis patients.”
The approval of Vafseo for the treatment of anemia due to CKD in adults who have been receiving dialysis for at least three months is based on efficacy and safety data from the INNO2VATE program and an assessment of post marketing safety data from Japan where VAFSEO was launched in August 2020. Results from the INNO2VATE program were published in the New England Journal of Medicine: (N Engl J Med 2021; 384:1601-1612); (N Engl J Med 2021; 384:1589-1600). See the Important Safety Information section below, including BOXED WARNING regarding increased risk of death, myocardial infarction, stroke, venous thromboembolism and thrombosis of vascular access.
Approximately 500,000 adult patients in the U.S. on dialysis suffer from anemia due to CKD1, which may be associated with many adverse clinical outcomes. The burden of managing uncontrolled anemia in CKD patients can be substantial, both in terms of healthcare costs and the impact on patients, healthcare providers and caregivers. Today, most CKD patients are treated for anemia with injectable erythropoiesis-stimulating agents mostly administered at dialysis centers. “Patients receiving maintenance dialysis would benefit from additional therapeutic options that can effectively increase and maintain hemoglobin concentrations within guideline-recommended target ranges,” said Glenn M. Chertow, M.D., M.P.H., Professor of Medicine, Division of Nephrology at Stanford University and Co-Chair of the independent Executive Steering Committee for PRO2TECT and INNO2VATE, the global Phase 3 clinical development programs for Vafseo.
Lori Hartwell, who has had kidney disease since she was a young child, is the Founder and President of the Renal Support Network. She expressed her support of this new therapy for adults with anemia due to chronic kidney disease on dialysis by stating, “Anemia is a debilitating condition that significantly impacts our daily lives. It is promising to see the introduction of innovative treatment options for people fighting anemia.”
Akebia intends to commercialize Vafseo in the U.S. with its established commercial team that has deep renal experience and by leveraging its relationship with CSL Vifor, an industry leader in bringing innovative therapies to U.S. dialysis organizations. In line with the approved label, Akebia will execute a launch strategy to drive Vafseo toward the goal of becoming a new oral standard of care for adult dialysis patients.
Mr. Butler added, “We are tremendously grateful for the patients, physicians, investigators, and site coordinators who participated in our clinical trials that led to this important approval. This milestone is the culmination of years of perseverance by Akebia employees and partners committed to bettering the lives of people impacted by kidney disease.”
Conference Call
Akebia will host a conference call on Thursday, March 28 at 8:00 a.m. Eastern Time to discuss the approval and planned next steps for launch. To access the call, please register by clicking on this Registration Link (https://register.vevent.com/register/BI8d947513ebdd4e32bf2fbc68d973108f), and you will be provided with dial in details. To avoid delays and ensure timely connection, we encourage dialing into the conference call 15 minutes ahead of the scheduled start time.
A live webcast of the conference call will be available via the “Investors” section of Akebia’s website at: https://ir.akebia.com/. An online archive of the webcast can be accessed via the Investors section of Akebia’s website at https://ir.akebia.com approximately two hours after the event.
About Akebia Therapeutics
Akebia Therapeutics, Inc. is a fully integrated biopharmaceutical company with the purpose to better the lives of people impacted by kidney disease. Akebia was founded in 2007 and is headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts. For more information, please visit our website at www.akebia.com, which does not form a part of this release.
About Anemia due to Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD)
Anemia is a condition in which a person lacks enough healthy red blood cells to carry adequate oxygen to the body’s tissues. It commonly occurs in people with CKD because their kidneys do not produce enough erythropoietin, a hormone that helps regulate production of red blood cells. Anemia due to CKD can have a profound impact on a person’s quality of life2 as it can cause fatigue, dizziness, shortness of breath and cognitive dysfunction. Left untreated, anemia leads to deterioration in health and is associated with increased mortality3 in people with CKD.
About Vafseo® (vadadustat) Tablets
Vafseo® (vadadustat) tablets is a once-daily oral hypoxia-inducible factor prolyl hydroxylase inhibitor that activates the physiologic response to hypoxia to stimulate endogenous production of erythropoietin, increasing hemoglobin and red blood cell production to manage anemia. Vafseo is approved for use in 37 countries.
INDICATION
VAFSEO is indicated for the treatment of anemia due to chronic kidney disease (CKD) in adults who have been receiving dialysis for at least three months.
Sources:
1United States Renal Data System. 2022 USRDS Annual Data Report: Epidemiology of kidney disease in the United States. National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, Bethesda, MD, 2022; Dopps.org
2Eriksson D, et al. BMC Nephrol. 2016;17:97; Finkelstein FO, et al. Clin J Am Soc Nephrol. 2009;4:33-38; Farag YM, et al. Clin Nephrol. 2011;75:524-533
3 Portolés J, et al. BMC Nephrol. 2013;14:2. 3. NICE. Clinical Guideline: Anaemia Management in Chronic Kidney Disease: Partial Update 2015. 4. Silverberg DS, et al. Clin Lab Haematol. 2001;23:1-6. 5. Herzog CA, et al. J Card Fail. 2004;10:467-472
SOURCE: Akebia Therapeutics
Post Views: 154
Once-Daily Oral HIF-PH Inhibitor Activates Physiologic Response to Manage Anemia
Akebia’s Launch Strategy Developed to Drive Toward a Potential New Oral Standard of Care
CAMBRIDGE, MA, USA I March 27, 2024 I Akebia Therapeutics®, Inc. (Nasdaq: AKBA), a biopharmaceutical company with the purpose to better the lives of people impacted by kidney disease, today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Vafseo® (vadadustat) Tablets for the treatment of anemia due to chronic kidney disease (CKD) in adults who have been receiving dialysis for at least three months. Vafseo is a once-daily oral hypoxia-inducible factor prolyl hydroxylase (HIF-PH) inhibitor that activates the physiologic response to hypoxia to stimulate endogenous production of erythropoietin to manage anemia. Vafseo is now approved in 37 countries.
“With the approval of Vafseo in the U.S., we’re proud to deliver an alternative treatment option for the hundreds of thousands of Americans on dialysis who are diagnosed with anemia due to CKD,” said John P. Butler, Chief Executive Officer of Akebia. “At Akebia we are committed to kidney patients, a dedication that has driven our team to achieve this milestone. We believe this commitment uniquely positions the company to execute a successful launch designed to drive toward a potential new oral standard of care for dialysis patients.”
The approval of Vafseo for the treatment of anemia due to CKD in adults who have been receiving dialysis for at least three months is based on efficacy and safety data from the INNO2VATE program and an assessment of post marketing safety data from Japan where VAFSEO was launched in August 2020. Results from the INNO2VATE program were published in the New England Journal of Medicine: (N Engl J Med 2021; 384:1601-1612); (N Engl J Med 2021; 384:1589-1600). See the Important Safety Information section below, including BOXED WARNING regarding increased risk of death, myocardial infarction, stroke, venous thromboembolism and thrombosis of vascular access.
Approximately 500,000 adult patients in the U.S. on dialysis suffer from anemia due to CKD1, which may be associated with many adverse clinical outcomes. The burden of managing uncontrolled anemia in CKD patients can be substantial, both in terms of healthcare costs and the impact on patients, healthcare providers and caregivers. Today, most CKD patients are treated for anemia with injectable erythropoiesis-stimulating agents mostly administered at dialysis centers. “Patients receiving maintenance dialysis would benefit from additional therapeutic options that can effectively increase and maintain hemoglobin concentrations within guideline-recommended target ranges,” said Glenn M. Chertow, M.D., M.P.H., Professor of Medicine, Division of Nephrology at Stanford University and Co-Chair of the independent Executive Steering Committee for PRO2TECT and INNO2VATE, the global Phase 3 clinical development programs for Vafseo.
Lori Hartwell, who has had kidney disease since she was a young child, is the Founder and President of the Renal Support Network. She expressed her support of this new therapy for adults with anemia due to chronic kidney disease on dialysis by stating, “Anemia is a debilitating condition that significantly impacts our daily lives. It is promising to see the introduction of innovative treatment options for people fighting anemia.”
Akebia intends to commercialize Vafseo in the U.S. with its established commercial team that has deep renal experience and by leveraging its relationship with CSL Vifor, an industry leader in bringing innovative therapies to U.S. dialysis organizations. In line with the approved label, Akebia will execute a launch strategy to drive Vafseo toward the goal of becoming a new oral standard of care for adult dialysis patients.
Mr. Butler added, “We are tremendously grateful for the patients, physicians, investigators, and site coordinators who participated in our clinical trials that led to this important approval. This milestone is the culmination of years of perseverance by Akebia employees and partners committed to bettering the lives of people impacted by kidney disease.”
Conference Call
Akebia will host a conference call on Thursday, March 28 at 8:00 a.m. Eastern Time to discuss the approval and planned next steps for launch. To access the call, please register by clicking on this Registration Link (https://register.vevent.com/register/BI8d947513ebdd4e32bf2fbc68d973108f), and you will be provided with dial in details. To avoid delays and ensure timely connection, we encourage dialing into the conference call 15 minutes ahead of the scheduled start time.
A live webcast of the conference call will be available via the “Investors” section of Akebia’s website at: https://ir.akebia.com/. An online archive of the webcast can be accessed via the Investors section of Akebia’s website at https://ir.akebia.com approximately two hours after the event.
About Akebia Therapeutics
Akebia Therapeutics, Inc. is a fully integrated biopharmaceutical company with the purpose to better the lives of people impacted by kidney disease. Akebia was founded in 2007 and is headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts. For more information, please visit our website at www.akebia.com, which does not form a part of this release.
About Anemia due to Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD)
Anemia is a condition in which a person lacks enough healthy red blood cells to carry adequate oxygen to the body’s tissues. It commonly occurs in people with CKD because their kidneys do not produce enough erythropoietin, a hormone that helps regulate production of red blood cells. Anemia due to CKD can have a profound impact on a person’s quality of life2 as it can cause fatigue, dizziness, shortness of breath and cognitive dysfunction. Left untreated, anemia leads to deterioration in health and is associated with increased mortality3 in people with CKD.
About Vafseo® (vadadustat) Tablets
Vafseo® (vadadustat) tablets is a once-daily oral hypoxia-inducible factor prolyl hydroxylase inhibitor that activates the physiologic response to hypoxia to stimulate endogenous production of erythropoietin, increasing hemoglobin and red blood cell production to manage anemia. Vafseo is approved for use in 37 countries.
INDICATION
VAFSEO is indicated for the treatment of anemia due to chronic kidney disease (CKD) in adults who have been receiving dialysis for at least three months.
Sources:
1United States Renal Data System. 2022 USRDS Annual Data Report: Epidemiology of kidney disease in the United States. National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, Bethesda, MD, 2022; Dopps.org
2Eriksson D, et al. BMC Nephrol. 2016;17:97; Finkelstein FO, et al. Clin J Am Soc Nephrol. 2009;4:33-38; Farag YM, et al. Clin Nephrol. 2011;75:524-533
3 Portolés J, et al. BMC Nephrol. 2013;14:2. 3. NICE. Clinical Guideline: Anaemia Management in Chronic Kidney Disease: Partial Update 2015. 4. Silverberg DS, et al. Clin Lab Haematol. 2001;23:1-6. 5. Herzog CA, et al. J Card Fail. 2004;10:467-472
SOURCE: Akebia Therapeutics
Post Views: 154
