Approval of Akebia Therapeutics’ Vafseo is based on additional post-marketing safety data from Japan, where the drug has been used since 2020. The FDA rejected the drug two years ago due to concerns about cardiovascular safety.
Otsuka Pharmaceutical is ending its alliance with Akebia Therapeutics, a move that comes less than two months after the FDA rejected their partnered anemia drug, vadadustat, and asked for another clinical trial. Otsuka alleges unspecified breaches of the agreement by Akebia, and ending the alliance early could spare it from spending hundreds of millions of dollars more on the drug.
Closing cancer health equity gaps require medical breakthroughs made possible by new funding approaches.
The FDA rejected Akebia Therapeutics drug vadadustat as a treatment for anemia caused by chronic kidney disease. According to the biotech, the agency cited safety concerns and asked for another clinical trial to show that the pill’s benefits outweigh its risks.