Otsuka + Akebia Sign $1 Billion Collaboration Agreement

Seattle – January 12, 2017 – Cooley advised Otsuka Pharmaceutical on its collaboration and license agreement with Akebia Therapeutics in the US for vadadustat, a product candidate in development for the treatment of anemia associated with chronic kidney disease.

Under the terms of the agreement, Akebia will receive $265 million plus development and commercial milestones, representing a total transaction value that could exceed $1 billion. The companies intend to contribute equally to commercialization efforts and share equally all costs and revenue in the US. Akebia will continue to lead the ongoing global Phase 3 development program for vadadustat.

Otsuka, headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, researches, develops, manufactures and markets innovative and original products, with a focus on pharmaceutical products for the treatment of diseases and nutraceutical products for the maintenance of everyday health. Akebia is a biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, focused on delivering innovative therapies to patients with kidney disease through hypoxia-inducible factor biology.

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