Keryx ($KERX) Biopharmaceuticals announces positive top-line results from phase 3 study of ferric citrate (Zerenex) in Japan

Keryx Biopharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: KERX) announced today that its Japanese partners, Japan Tobacco (2914.JP) and Torii Pharmaceutical (4551.JP) have announced positive top-line results from a Phase 3 study of ferric citrate (Zerenex) in Japan for the treatment of hyperphosphatemia in end-stage renal disease patients on hemodialysis. This study is part of an ongoing Phase 3 program for ferric citrate in Japan for the treatment of hyperphosphatemia.

• The Phase 3 study, conducted in Japan, evaluated the efficacy and safety of ferric citrate against an active control, sevelamer hydrochloride, over 12 weeks in hemodialysis patients with hyperphosphatemia.
• In the top-line results, which evaluated the change of serum phosphorus from baseline, the primary endpoint of efficacy met non-inferiority to sevelamer hydrochloride. Furthermore, there were no clinically significant findings on safety and tolerability of ferric citrate within the treatment period.
• JT/Torii stated that it is aiming to submit the marketing application for ferric citrate in Japan in the fiscal year ending March 31, 2013.
• Zerenex is also in a Phase 3 clinical program in the United States for the treatment of hyperphosphatemia (elevated phosphate levels) in patients with end-stage renal disease on dialysis, which is being conducted pursuant to a Special Protocol Assessment agreement with the FDA.