On a quest to boost its renal diseases pipeline with two late-stage drugs, Novartis AG has announced plans to acquire precision medicines drug developer Chinook Therapeutics Inc., offering up to $3.5 billion. The move drove Chinook’s shares (NASDAQ:KDNY) up by 58.3%, or $13.99, on June 12, closing at $37.98.
Researchers at Jiangsu Chia Tai Tianqing Pharmaceutical Group Co. Ltd. and Medshine Discovery Inc. have identified azobenzene compounds acting as endothelin-1 receptor (EDNRA; ETA) antagonists reported to be useful for the treatment of IgA nephropathy.
Saddled with disappointing results from a phase III trial with Filspari (sparsentan) in focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS), officials of Travere Therapeutics Inc. stressed the differences between that disorder and IgA nephropathy (IgAN) – for which the drug was cleared by the U.S. FDA in February. Two-year IgAN efficacy data are due in the fourth quarter of this year.
Immunoglobulin A (IgA) nephropathy is the most prevalent glomerulonephritis worldwide that does not have a specific treatment. Its pathogenesis is complex and not well understood, but there is increasing evidence that the lectin-driven complement activation may be behind it. Mannose-binding lectin serine protease 2 (MASP-2) has been studied as a therapeutic target in the treatment of IgA nephropathy, as it is one of the main lectin pathway activators.
San Diego-based Travere Therapeutics Inc. gained U.S. FDA accelerated approval for its dual endothelin angiotensin receptor antagonist, Filspari (sparsentan), to reduce proteinuria in adults with primary IgA nephropathy, or Berger’s disease.
Vera Therapeutics Inc.’s latest results from the phase IIb Origin trial with atacicept in patients with IgA nephropathy (IgAN) provided cause for optimism with regard to the phase III experiment targeted for the first half of this year – which should yield 36-week data in the first half of 2025 – and the company is budgeting to make the later-stage effort happen.
Transcenta Holding Ltd. has received IND clearance from the FDA for TST-004, its best-in-class, humanized monoclonal antibody targeting mannose-binding protein-associated serine protease 2 (MASP2), for IgA nephropathy (IgAN).
Data from Chinook Therapeutics Inc. from an ongoing phase I/II trial with BION-1301 in IgA nephropathy (IgAN) at the American Society of Nephrology Kidney Week, and from Vera Therapeutics Inc. with atacicept, set Wall Street abuzz about chances for the two compounds relative to each other.
It’s all systems “go” for Travere Therapeutics Inc. and its sparsentan after meetings with the FDA paved the way for filings and potential accelerated approvals in the rare kidney disease IgA nephropathy and the kidney scarring condition focal segmental glomerulosclerosis.
Travere Therapeutics Inc. plans to file for accelerated approval in the first half of next year, based on data from the pivotal phase III Protect study of sparsentan, a dual-acting antagonist of the endothelin type A (ETA) and angiotensin II type 1 receptors, for IgA nephropathy (IgAN).