LAV’s Xia parlays gap in kidney therapies into China start-up

When LAV’s Gavin Xia set out to form a newco five years ago, he zeroed in on the need for a start-up to address the lack of treatment options in China for renal diseases. A pair of deals has brought in therapies for hyperphosphatemia, one of Alebund’s focus areas.

Xia’s interest in the space coincided with that of a group of investors, start-ups and bigger biopharmas that saw opportunities to build on the new target discoveries in inflammation, oxidation and fibrosis...