Higher-than-expected serum bicarbonate values in the placebo group foiled Tricida Inc.’s effort in its phase III renal outcomes trial to compare an untreated acidotic chronic kidney disease (CKD) population with those given veverimer. The hitch meant the company could not measure the oral, non-absorbed polymer’s ability to slow the disease in patients with metabolic acidosis, an estimated market of several million people in the U.S.