Akebia Therapeutics, Inc. develops and commercializes therapeutics for people impacted by kidney disease. Company news commonly covers Vafseo® (vadadustat), an oral HIF-PH inhibitor indicated for anemia due to chronic kidney disease in adults receiving dialysis, and Auryxia® (ferric citrate), a U.S.-marketed therapy for chronic kidney disease-related conditions.
Recurring updates also address product revenue, dialysis-market access, clinical data publications, and kidney disease pipeline programs, including praliciguat in focal segmental glomerulosclerosis, AKB-097 in rare kidney diseases, and AKB-9090 for cardiac surgery-associated acute kidney injury. Akebia also reports Nasdaq inducement grants, board changes, investor presentations, and quarterly financial results.
Akebia Therapeutics (Nasdaq: AKBA) reported third-quarter 2026 revenue of $36.9 million, down from the prior year as Auryxia sales declined. Net loss was $14.4 million versus net income of $0.5 million a year earlier. Auryxia revenue fell to $20.0 million from $42.5 million. Vafseo revenue rose to $14.8 million from $14.3 million, but declined sequentially, primarily because its largest customer reduced inventory.
Approximately 11,500 patients used Vafseo at quarter-end, up approximately 140% year over year. VOCAL met its primary endpoint, showing three-times-weekly vadadustat was not inferior to erythropoiesis-stimulating agents in maintaining hemoglobin. VOICE showed a statistically significant improvement in its combined death-and-hospitalization endpoint, driven by fewer hospitalizations. The first patient received ebribafusp alfa in a Phase 2 trial; Akebia expects initial data in 2027.
Akebia Therapeutics (Nasdaq: AKBA) reported that three-times-weekly vadadustat met the VOCAL trial’s primary endpoint for maintaining hemoglobin compared with standard anemia treatment.
The open-label trial enrolled 353 patients receiving in-center hemodialysis and compared vadadustat with Mircera, an erythropoiesis-stimulating agent (ESA). The endpoint measured mean hemoglobin change from baseline to weeks 20–24. The between-group difference was -0.45 g/dL, with a 95% confidence interval of -0.71 to -0.19 g/dL. Its lower bound exceeded the -0.75 g/dL margin, meeting the predefined standard for non-inferiority.
Exposure-adjusted treatment-emergent serious adverse event rates were similar: 159.7 versus 183.9 events per 100 patient-years for vadadustat and ESA, respectively. Three-times-weekly dosing remains investigational; Vafseo, the branded form of vadadustat, is approved for once-daily administration.
Akebia Therapeutics (AKBA) plans to release its third-quarter 2026 financial results on November 5, 2026, before financial markets open. The results cover the quarter ended September 30, 2026. A conference call at 8:00 a.m. EST that day will discuss the results and recent business highlights. A live webcast and an archive will be available through the Investors section of Akebia’s website.
Akebia Therapeutics (Nasdaq: AKBA) announced VOICE trial results showing vadadustat outperformed an erythropoiesis-stimulating agent on a combined mortality and hospitalization endpoint.
U.S. Renal Care presented the randomized, open-label trial of 2,116 patients at ASN Kidney Week 2026. Three-times-weekly vadadustat achieved noninferiority and superiority on the primary endpoint, with win odds of 1.16 (95% confidence interval 1.06–1.28; p=0.0016). Hospitalizations were 10% lower versus ESA treatment; mortality rates showed no statistically significant difference. Serious adverse events were 121.5 versus 134.2 per 100 patient-years. High hemoglobin excursions and ESA rescue were less common, while low excursions showed no overall difference. Vafseo, the brand name for vadadustat, is approved for once-daily use in adults with anemia due to chronic kidney disease receiving dialysis for at least three months.
Akebia Therapeutics (AKBA) will hold investor meetings at the Virtual U.S. Bancorp I BTIG Kidney Health Forum on October 14, 2026.
CEO John P. Butler, Chief R&D and Medical Officer Dr. Steven Burke, and Chief Financial and Chief Business Officer Erik Ostrowski will participate in one-on-one meetings. Management will discuss the company's commercial products and clinical-stage pipeline assets for rare kidney diseases.
Akebia Therapeutics (AKBA) announced presentations on vadadustat and its rare kidney disease pipeline at ASN Kidney Week, October 21–25, 2026. The meeting takes place in Denver. U.S. Renal Care will present VOICE trial results on October 23, evaluating the safety of three-times-weekly vadadustat versus an erythropoiesis-stimulating agent in patients receiving in-center hemodialysis.
Akebia-supported posters cover preclinical praliciguat research in focal segmental glomerulosclerosis, a kidney disease, and its Phase 2 trial in that condition. Another covers the Phase 2 ebribafusp alfa trial in complement-mediated kidney diseases. Vafseo (vadadustat) posters address hospitalization costs versus darbepoetin alfa using Phase 3 INNO2VATE data, cardiovascular events with once-daily versus three-times-weekly dosing, and the relationship between peak vadadustat exposure and cardiovascular events.
Akebia Therapeutics (AKBA) granted a newly hired employee options to purchase 8,400 common shares on September 30, 2026, as an employment inducement.
The options have an exercise price of $0.92 per share, equal to the stock's closing price on the grant date. They vest over four years: 25% on the grant's first anniversary and the remaining 75% quarterly thereafter, subject to continued service. Each option has a 10-year term. The grant was made under Nasdaq Listing Rule 5635(c)(4) and is subject to Akebia's inducement award program and stock option agreement.
Akebia Therapeutics (AKBA) has dosed the first patient in an open-label Phase 2 basket trial of investigational drug ebribafusp for rare complement-mediated kidney diseases.
The study evaluates patients with IgA nephropathy, lupus nephritis and C3 glomerulopathy and is expected to enroll up to 30 participants. Ebribafusp, a next-generation anti-C3d factor H fusion protein, is designed to inhibit complement activation in kidney tissue without blocking the complement system in blood. Patients will receive once-weekly subcutaneous dosing for 26 weeks, followed by a long-term extension for responders, with initial data expected in 2027.
The primary endpoint is incidence of adverse events, and secondary endpoints include changes in proteinuria (UPCR), kidney function (eGFR) and pharmacokinetics, along with blood and urine complement biomarkers.
Akebia Therapeutics (Nasdaq: AKBA) granted a stock option inducement award to one newly hired employee on August 31, 2026. The option covers an aggregate of 8,400 shares of Akebia common stock at an exercise price of $0.92 per share, equal to the closing price on the grant date. The award was approved under Nasdaq Listing Rule 5635(c)(4) as a material inducement to employment. The options vest over four years, with 25% vesting on the first anniversary and the remaining 75% vesting quarterly thereafter, subject to continued service, and have a 10-year term under Akebia’s inducement award program and stock option agreement.
Akebia Therapeutics (Nasdaq: AKBA) announced that CEO John P. Butler and CFO/CBO Erik Ostrowski will participate in one-on-one investor meetings at the Wells Fargo Healthcare Conference in Boston, held September 8–10, 2026. Management plans to discuss Akebia’s commercial kidney disease products and its pipeline of clinical-stage programs.