Switzerland-based pharmaceutical major Novartis (NYSE: NVS) has successfully completed the scheduled purchase of US-based kidney disease specialist Chinook Therapeutics (NASDAQ: KDNY) for a payment of $3.2 billion to its shareholders. An additional $300 million will be paid once regulatory milestones are achieved. This acquisition will enhance Novartis’s renal portfolio with the addition of immunoglobulin A Nephropathy (IgAN) late-stage candidates atrasentan and zigakibart, which target the endothelin A receptor (ERA) and APRIL, respectively. Atrasentan has recently entered development for additional rare kidney diseases.
Expanding Novartis’s IgA Nephropathy Treatment Options
Novartis is already focusing on IgA nephropathy with iptacopan, a complement-system targeted therapy, which is set for approval filings in the US, China, Europe, and Japan later this year. Iptacopan has recently been awarded priority review status in China. With the addition of two late-stage products in the IgA nephropathy space, Novartis is poised to take a dominant position in this disease area.
Chinook’s China Joint Venture and Development Progress
Chinook Therapeutics had established a China-based joint venture, San Reno Therapeutics, in December 2021, in partnership with Frazier Healthcare Partners and Pivotal bioVenture Partners China. The joint venture has taken over the development of Chinook’s two lead candidates in China, with zigakibart initiating a Phase I trial in China in May this year.-Fineline Info & Tech
