FDA approves Vera Therapeutics kidney disease treatment

Adam Feuerstein is a senior writer and biotech columnist, reporting on the crossroads of drug development, business, Wall Street, and biotechnology. He is also a co-host of the weekly biotech podcast The Readout Loud and author of the newsletter Adam’s Biotech Scorecard. You can reach Adam on Signal at stataf.54.

The Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday approved a new medicine from the biotech company Vera Therapeutics for patients with a type of chronic autoimmune kidney disease.

The drug, called Trutakna, was cleared to treat IgA nephropathy, or IgAN, a disease caused by the buildup of immune antibodies in the kidneys. The condition leads to progressive loss of kidney function and potentially organ failure requiring dialysis.

“We’re extremely excited to bring Trutakna to patients,” Vera CEO Marshall Fordyce told STAT, in an interview conducted ahead of the FDA approval.