Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals Reports First Quarter 2026 Financial Results and Recent Portfolio Execution
Rhea-AI Summary
Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq: KNSA) reported Q1 2026 results with ARCALYST net product revenue of $214.3M, a 56% year-over-year increase, and raised 2026 ARCALYST guidance to $930–$945M. Q1 net income was $22.6M. Cash and short-term investments totaled $468.1M with no debt. Clinical milestones: KPL-387 Phase 2 data expected in 2H 2026 and Phase 3 initiation targeted by year-end; KPL-1161 Phase 1 planned by end of 2026.
Positive
- ARCALYST Q1 revenue $214.3M (+56% YoY)
- Raised 2026 ARCALYST guidance to $930–$945M
- Cash balance $468.1M with no debt
- KPL-387 Phase 2 data due 2H 2026; Phase 3 planned by year-end
Negative
- Total operating expenses rose to $185.0M (Q1 2026) from $124.5M (Q1 2025)
- Collaboration expenses increased to $75.6M (driven by ARCALYST profitability)
- SG&A expenses increased to $61.2M, reflecting commercialization investment
News Market Reaction – KNSA
In the Apr 28 session, KNSA gained 23.48%, reflecting a significant positive market reaction. Argus tracked a peak move of +15.2% during that session. Our momentum scanner triggered 58 alerts that day, indicating high trading interest and price volatility. Trading volume was very high at 3.9x the daily average, suggesting strong buying interest.
Data tracked by StockTitan Argus on the day of publication.
Key Figures
Previous Earnings Reports
| Date | Event | Sentiment | 24h Move | Catalyst |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 24 | Q4/FY25 earnings | Positive | -8.2% | Strong Q4 and full-year ARCALYST growth with higher 2026 revenue guidance. |
| Oct 28 | Q3 2025 earnings | Positive | -2.9% | Q3 ARCALYST revenue jump and raised 2025 guidance with return to net income. |
| Jul 29 | Q2 2025 earnings | Positive | +12.3% | Strong Q2 ARCALYST growth, guidance raise, and transition to profitability. |
| Apr 29 | Q1 2025 earnings | Positive | +20.5% | Q1 ARCALYST outperformance, higher 2025 guidance, and move to net income. |
| Feb 25 | Q4/FY24 earnings | Positive | +0.5% | Strong 2024 ARCALYST growth and initial 2025 revenue outlook with pipeline focus. |
24h Move is the share-price change in the day after each event; other market factors may also have contributed.
Earnings updates typically highlight strong ARCALYST growth and guidance raises; market reactions have been mixed, with both sharp rallies and notable selloffs following positive reports.
Over the past year, Kiniksa’s earnings reports have consistently showcased robust ARCALYST growth and multiple guidance raises, alongside steady cash build and no debt. Prior updates on Apr 29, 2025, Jul 29, 2025, and Oct 28, 2025 featured higher revenue and improved profitability, plus progress on KPL-387 and KPL-1161. Today’s Q1 2026 results, with higher ARCALYST revenue and raised 2026 guidance, continue this trajectory of expanding commercialization and advancing the cardiovascular pipeline.
Key Terms
monoclonal antibody medical
il-1 receptor antagonist medical
subcutaneous (sc) dosing medical
first-in-human clinical trial medical
AI-generated analysis. How Rhea-AI works. Not financial advice.
– ARCALYST® (rilonacept) Q1 2026 net product revenue of
– ARCALYST 2026 expected net product revenue increased to
– KPL-387 Phase 2 recurrent pericarditis data expected in 2H 2026; Phase 3 pivotal trial expected to initiate by year-end –
– Q1 2026 cash balance increased to
– Conference call and webcast scheduled for 8:30 am ET today –
LONDON, April 28, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals International, plc (Nasdaq: KNSA) (Kiniksa), a biopharmaceutical company developing and commercializing novel therapies for diseases with unmet need, with a focus on cardiovascular indications, today reported first quarter 2026 financial results and recent portfolio execution.
“Five years from launch, Kiniksa continues to deliver strong ARCALYST revenue growth, driven by expanding adoption of IL-1α and IL-1β inhibition for recurrent pericarditis. As the first quarter progressed, growth was observed in both new and repeat prescribers, providing momentum for our ARCALYST franchise for the rest of the year. Therefore, we have raised our 2026 ARCALYST net sales guidance to between
Portfolio Execution
ARCALYST (IL-1α and IL-1β cytokine trap)
- ARCALYST net product revenue was
$214.3 million for the first quarter of 2026. - Since launch, more than 4,550 prescribers have written ARCALYST prescriptions for recurrent pericarditis.
- Average total duration of ARCALYST therapy in recurrent pericarditis continues to grow and is approaching 3 years, in line with the median duration of disease.
KPL-387 (monoclonal antibody IL-1 receptor antagonist)
- Kiniksa is conducting a Phase 2/3 clinical trial of KPL-387 in recurrent pericarditis and expects data from the Phase 2 dose-focusing portion of the trial in the second half of 2026. The company also expects to initiate the Phase 3 pivotal portion by the end of 2026.
- Kiniksa is conducting a supplemental Phase 2 Transition to KPL-387 Monotherapy Dosing & Administration Study evaluating the efficacy and safety of dosing regimens used to transition patients from standard therapies to KPL-387 monotherapy.
KPL-1161 (Fc-modified monoclonal antibody IL-1 receptor antagonist)
- Kiniksa is conducting preclinical development activities with KPL-1161 with a target profile of quarterly subcutaneous (SC) dosing. The company expects to initiate a Phase 1 first-in-human clinical trial by the end of 2026.
Financial Results
- Total revenue for the first quarter of 2026 was
$214.3 million , compared to$137.8 million for the first quarter of 2025. - Total operating expenses for the first quarter of 2026 were
$185.0 million , compared to$124.5 million for the first quarter of 2025, and comprised the following:- Cost of Goods Sold (COGS) expenses of
$20.8 million , compared to$17.9 million for the first quarter of 2025. The increase in COGS expenses was primarily due to costs associated with increased sales of ARCALYST. - Collaboration expenses of
$75.6 million , compared to$43.8 million for the first quarter of 2025. Collaboration expenses are driven primarily by ARCALYST collaboration profitability. - Research and Development (R&D) expenses of
$27.5 million , compared to$19.3 million for the first quarter of 2025. The increase in R&D expenses was primarily due to increased clinical and manufacturing activity associated with the KPL-387 Phase 2/3 trial in recurrent pericarditis. - Selling, General, and Administrative (SG&A) expenses of
$61.2 million , compared to$43.5 million for the first quarter of 2025. The increase in SG&A expenses was primarily due to investment associated with the commercialization of ARCALYST. - Total operating expenses for the first quarter of 2026 included
$10.1 million in non-cash, share-based compensation expense, compared to$7.7 million for the first quarter of 2025.
- Cost of Goods Sold (COGS) expenses of
- Net income for the first quarter of 2026 was
$22.6 million , compared to$8.5 million for the first quarter of 2025. - As of March 31, 2026, Kiniksa had
$468.1 million of cash, cash equivalents, and short-term investments and no debt.
Financial Guidance
- Kiniksa expects 2026 ARCALYST net product revenue of between
$930 million and$945 million , compared to prior guidance of between$900 million and$920 million . - Kiniksa expects its current operating plan to remain cash flow positive on an annual basis.
Conference Call Information
- Kiniksa will host a conference call and webcast at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time on Tuesday, April 28, 2026, to discuss first quarter 2026 financial results and recent portfolio execution.
- Individuals interested in participating in the call via telephone may register here. Upon registration, all telephone participants will receive a confirmation email detailing how to join the conference call, including the dial-in number along with a unique passcode and registrant ID that can be used to access the call. To access the webcast, please visit the Investors and Media section of Kiniksa’s website. A replay of the event will also be available on Kiniksa’s website within approximately 48 hours after the event.
About Kiniksa
Kiniksa is a biopharmaceutical company dedicated to improving the lives of patients suffering from debilitating diseases by discovering, acquiring, developing, and commercializing novel therapies for diseases with unmet need, with a focus on cardiovascular indications. Kiniksa’s portfolio of assets is based on strong biologic rationale or validated mechanisms and offers the potential for differentiation. For more information, please visit www.kiniksa.com.
About ARCALYST
ARCALYST is a weekly, subcutaneously injected recombinant dimeric fusion protein that blocks interleukin-1 alpha (IL-1α) and interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β) signaling. ARCALYST was discovered by Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Regeneron) and is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for recurrent pericarditis, cryopyrin-associated periodic syndromes (CAPS), including Familial Cold Autoinflammatory Syndrome and Muckle-Wells Syndrome, and deficiency of IL-1 receptor antagonist (DIRA). The FDA granted Breakthrough Therapy designation to ARCALYST for the treatment of recurrent pericarditis in 2019 and Orphan Drug exclusivity to ARCALYST in 2021 for the treatment of recurrent pericarditis and reduction in risk of recurrence in adults and pediatric patients 12 years and older. The European Commission granted Orphan Drug Designation to ARCALYST for the treatment of idiopathic pericarditis in 2021.
IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION ABOUT ARCALYST
- ARCALYST may affect your immune system and can lower the ability of your immune system to fight infections. Serious infections, including life-threatening infections and death, have happened in patients taking ARCALYST. If you have any signs of an infection, call your doctor right away. Treatment with ARCALYST should be stopped if you get a serious infection. You should not begin treatment with ARCALYST if you have an infection or have infections that keep coming back (chronic infection).
- While taking ARCALYST, do not take other medicines that block interleukin-1, such as Kineret® (anakinra), or medicines that block tumor necrosis factor, such as Enbrel® (etanercept), Humira® (adalimumab), or Remicade® (infliximab), as this may increase your risk of getting a serious infection.
- Talk with your doctor about your vaccine history. Ask your doctor whether you should receive any vaccines before you begin treatment with ARCALYST.
- Medicines that affect the immune system may increase the risk of getting cancer.
- Stop taking ARCALYST and call your doctor or get emergency care right away if you have any symptoms of an allergic reaction.
- Your doctor will do blood tests to check for changes in your blood cholesterol and triglycerides.
- Common side effects include injection-site reactions (which may include pain, redness, swelling, itching, bruising, lumps, inflammation, skin rash, blisters, warmth, and bleeding at the injection site), upper respiratory tract infections, joint and muscle aches, rash, ear infection, sore throat, and runny nose.
For more information about ARCALYST, talk to your doctor and see the Product Information.
About KPL-387
KPL-387 is an independently developed, investigational, fully human immunoglobulin G2 (IgG2) monoclonal antibody that binds human interleukin-1 receptor 1 (IL-1R1), inhibiting the signaling of the cytokines IL-1α and IL-1β. Kiniksa believes KPL-387 could expand the treatment options for recurrent pericarditis patients by potentially enabling dosing with a single monthly SC self-injection in a liquid formulation. In October 2025, the FDA granted Orphan Drug Designation to KPL-387 for the treatment of pericarditis.
About KPL-1161
KPL-1161 is an independently developed, investigational, Fc-modified IgG2 monoclonal antibody that binds IL-1R1, inhibiting the signaling of the cytokines IL-1α and IL-1β, with a target profile of quarterly SC dosing. Kiniksa is currently engaging in preclinical development activities for KPL-1161.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements. In some cases, you can identify forward looking statements by terms such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “expect,” “plan,” “anticipate,” “could,” “intend,” “target,” “project,” “contemplate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “predict,” “potential” or “continue” or the negative of these terms or other similar expressions, although not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words. All statements contained in this press release that do not relate to matters of historical fact should be considered forward-looking statements, including without limitation, statements regarding: our expectation that ARCALYST 2026 net product revenue will be between
These forward-looking statements are based on management’s current expectations. These statements are neither promises nor guarantees, but involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors that may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements, including without limitation, the following: delays or difficulty in enrollment of patients in, and activation or continuation of sites for, our clinical trials; delays or difficulty in completing our clinical trials as originally designed; potential for changes between final data and any preliminary, interim, top-line or other data from clinical trials; our inability to replicate results from our earlier clinical trials or studies; impact of additional data from us or other companies, including the potential for our data to produce negative, inconclusive or commercially uncompetitive results; our reliance on third parties to conduct research, clinical trials, and/or certain regulatory activities for our product candidates; complications in coordinating requirements, regulations and guidelines of regulatory authorities across jurisdictions for our clinical trials; potential undesirable side effects caused by our products and product candidates; our inability to demonstrate safety and efficacy to the satisfaction of applicable regulatory authorities; potential for applicable regulatory authorities to not accept our filings, delay or deny approval of any of our product candidates or require additional data or trials to support approval; our reliance on third parties as the sole source of supply of the drug substance and drug product used in our products and product candidates; raw material, important ancillary product and drug substance and/or drug product shortages; business development activities and their impact on our financial performance and strategy; changes in our operating plan, business development strategy or funding requirements; existing or new competition; current and future healthcare reforms, including those affecting the delivery of or payment for healthcare products and services; and the impact of global economic policy, including any uncertainty in national and international markets.
These and other important factors discussed in our filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including under the caption “Risk Factors” contained therein, could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated by the forward-looking statements made in this press release. Any such forward-looking statements represent management’s estimates as of the date of this press release. Except as required by law, we disclaim any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing our views as of any date subsequent to the date of this press release.
ARCALYST® is a registered trademark of Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Every Second Counts! ®
Kiniksa Investor Contact
Jonathan Kirshenbaum
(781) 829-3949
jkirshenbaum@kiniksa.com
| KINIKSA PHARMACEUTICALS INTERNATIONAL, PLC | ||||||||||||||
| SELECTED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS | ||||||||||||||
| (In thousands, except share and per share amounts) | ||||||||||||||
| (Unaudited) | ||||||||||||||
| Three Months Ended | ||||||||||||||
| March 31, | ||||||||||||||
| 2026 | 2025 | |||||||||||||
| Revenue: | ||||||||||||||
| Product revenue, net | $ | 214,266 | $ | 137,785 | ||||||||||
| License and collaboration revenue | — | — | ||||||||||||
| Total revenue | 214,266 | 137,785 | ||||||||||||
| Operating expenses: | ||||||||||||||
| Cost of goods sold | 20,796 | 17,868 | ||||||||||||
| Collaboration expenses | 75,577 | 43,790 | ||||||||||||
| Research and development | 27,475 | 19,325 | ||||||||||||
| Selling, general and administrative | 61,151 | 43,530 | ||||||||||||
| Total operating expenses | 184,999 | 124,513 | ||||||||||||
| Income from operations | 29,267 | 13,272 | ||||||||||||
| Other income, net | 3,414 | 2,293 | ||||||||||||
| Income before income taxes | 32,681 | 15,565 | ||||||||||||
| Provision for income taxes | (10,089 | ) | (7,026 | ) | ||||||||||
| Net income | $ | 22,592 | $ | 8,539 | ||||||||||
| Net income per share attributable to ordinary shareholders—basic | $ | 0.30 | $ | 0.12 | ||||||||||
| Net income per share attributable to ordinary shareholders—diluted | $ | 0.27 | $ | 0.11 | ||||||||||
| Weighted average ordinary shares outstanding—basic | 76,516,535 | 72,647,121 | ||||||||||||
| Weighted average ordinary shares outstanding—diluted | 82,409,703 | 76,145,617 | ||||||||||||
| KINIKSA PHARMACEUTICALS INTERNATIONAL, PLC | ||||||||||||||
| SELECTED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEET DATA | ||||||||||||||
| (In thousands) | ||||||||||||||
| (Unaudited) | ||||||||||||||
| As of | ||||||||||||||
| March 31, | December 31, | |||||||||||||
| 2026 | 2025 | |||||||||||||
| Cash, cash equivalents, and short-term investments | $ | 468,093 | $ | 414,074 | ||||||||||
| Working capital | 437,561 | 387,993 | ||||||||||||
| Total assets | 825,280 | 763,633 | ||||||||||||
| Accumulated deficit | (439,546 | ) | (462,138 | ) | ||||||||||
| Total shareholders' equity | 605,687 | 567,606 | ||||||||||||
