US biopharmaceutical company Akebia Therapeutics Inc (Nasdaq: AKBA) announced on Tuesday that it has entered into a multi-year commercial contract with a leading provider of kidney care services.

This contract expands access to Vafseo (vadadustat) for patients on dialysis, allowing physicians to prescribe Vafseo to patients on dialysis as deemed clinically appropriate.

Akebia expects Vafseo to be available in the United States from January 2025.

In March 2024, the US Food and Drug Administration approved Vafseo for the treatment of anaemia due to chronic kidney disease in adults who have been receiving dialysis for at least three months. In October 2024 the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services granted Transitional Drug Add-On Payment Adjustment reimbursement for Vafseo starting on 1 January 2025 and issued a Level II Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System code, which will be used for billing for the product by dialysis organisations for Medicare enrollees.

Nik Grund, Akebia chief commercial officer, said: "Expanding access to Vafseo is a priority of our commercial launch as we work to deliver a new choice in anaemia management to patients on dialysis. We believe a supply agreement with one of the largest dialysis organisations in the country will significantly broaden access to Vafseo among its physicians and for its more than 200,000 patients at dialysis centres across the US."