Kissei gets rights to develop and market avacopan in Japan

Japanese drugmaker Kissei Pharmaceutical (TYO: 4547) has been granted exclusive rights to develop and commercialize avacopan (CCX168) in Japan by Vifor Fresenius Medical Care Renal Pharma (VFMCRP), a joint venture between Switzerland’s Vifor Pharma (VTX: VIFN) and Fresenius Medical Care.

Under the terms of the agreement, Kissei will have the exclusive right to develop avacopan in Japan and, once marketing authorization has been granted, commercialize it in that country. VFMCRP will remain responsible for marketing avacopan everywhere else outside the USA and China, where it is commercialized by US biopharmaceutical company and Vifor Pharma licensor, ChemoCentryx.

The agreement with Kissei comes only two months after ChemoCentryx granted VFMCRP a territory expansion into Japan, which underscores the unmet medical need there and the potential of avacopan for treating it.