Akebia slides on HIF inhibitor's SAEs

Akebia Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ:AKBA) fell $5.75 (29%) to $13.97 on Monday after data from a Phase IIb trial of its AKB-6548 to treat anemia associated with chronic kidney disease (CKD) showed an increase in serious adverse events, while also meeting the study's primary endpoint.

In the 209-patient study of non-dialysis patients with CKD, 23.9% of AKB-6548-treated patients experienced SAEs vs 15.3% patients given placebo. SAEs were primarily renal-related, including a death that Akebia said was "possibly related" to active treatment, citing the patient's concomitant heart problems. ...