Phase III OLYMPUS and ROCKIES trials for roxadustat each met their primary efficacy endpoints for the treatment of patients with anaemia in chronic kidney disease . AstraZeneca + FibroGen

AstraZeneca announced that the Phase III OLYMPUS and ROCKIES trials for roxadustat each met their primary efficacy endpoints for the treatment of patients with anaemia in chronic kidney disease (CKD) that are either non-dialysis-dependent or dialysis-dependent, respectively. Roxadustat is a hypoxia-inducible factor prolyl hydroxylase inhibitor (HIF-PHI) and a potential first-in-class new medicine to treat anaemia in CKD being jointly developed and commercialised by AstraZeneca and FibroGen, Inc.

OLYMPUS is a Phase III, randomised, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial designed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of roxadustat vs. placebo for the treatment of patients with anaemia in CKD stages 3, 4 and 5 whose disease progression is moderate to severe and who are non-dialysis dependent. The trial met its primary efficacy endpoint by demonstrating a statistically-significant and clinically-meaningful improvement in mean change from baseline in haemoglobin (Hb) levels averaged over weeks 28 to 52 vs. placebo. The trial evaluated 2,781 patients in 26 countries.

ROCKIES is a Phase III, randomised, open-label, active-controlled trial designed to assess the efficacy and safety of roxadustat vs. epoetin alfa , for the treatment of patients with anaemia in CKD who are dialysis dependent. The trial met its primary efficacy endpoint by demonstrating a statistically-significant improvement in mean change from baseline in Hb levels averaged over weeks 28 to 52 vs. epoetin alfa. The trial evaluated 2,133 patients in 18 countries.

The global Phase III programme consists of more than 9,000 patients in trials conducted by AstraZeneca, FibroGen and Astellas. In September 2018, Astellas announced high-level results from the Phase III ALPS trial. FibroGen and Astellas anticipate reporting high-level results from their remaining trials in due course. These trials will contribute to the combined pooled safety analysis, including major adverse cardiovascular event (MACE) outcomes, anticipated during H1 2019. Data from the Phase III OLYMPUS and ROCKIES trials, together with the efficacy and pooled safety data from the global Phase III programme, will be part of the regulatory submission package in the US and other major countries. Results from these trials will be presented at forthcoming medical meetings.