VOICE Trial Data Show Vadadustat Cuts Hospitalizations vs ESA in Dialysis Patients
AKBA is trading near its 52-week low of $0.542 (6.3% above the low).
Summary
U.S. Renal Care presented late-breaking VOICE trial data at ASN Kidney Week showing vadadustat (Vafseo) beat ESAs on a composite of all-cause mortality and hospitalization, with a win odds of 1.16 (p=0.0016). The benefit was driven by a 10% lower hospitalization rate (111.1 vs 123.1 per 100 patient-years), while mortality was flat at 8.8% in both arms. Patients on vadadustat also had fewer high hemoglobin excursions and 28% lower odds of needing ESA rescue. This is the first outcomes-level evidence for Vafseo beyond hemoglobin control, and it lands as Akebia tries to grow the drug against generic erosion of Auryxia. The stock is under $1 and faces a Nasdaq listing deadline after the October 23 notice, so a differentiated label story matters for commercial traction. Watch Vafseo prescription trends in the next quarterly update.
At the time of this announcement, AKBA was trading at $0.58 on NASDAQ in the Life Sciences sector, with a market capitalization of approximately $157.1M. The 52-week trading range was $0.54 to $3.20. This news item was assessed with positive market sentiment and an importance score of 7 out of 10. Source: GlobeNewswire.