AstraZeneca calls off two late-stage potassium drug trials

[December 01, 2023]  By Eva Mathews

(Reuters) -AstraZeneca is calling off two late-stage trials into the potential benefits of its potassium-reduction drug Lokelma in treating a chronic condition called hyperkalemia in people with various heart and kidney diseases.

"The decision to discontinue the trials is not due to safety concerns and the positive benefit-risk of Lokelma does not change in the approved indication," AstraZeneca said in a statement on Friday.

Hyperkalemia (HK) is characterised by high levels of potassium in the blood and poses a significant risk of cardiac arrest.

AstraZeneca's Lokelma, which provides rapid potassium reduction and sustained control of the mineral, has been approved for the treatment of a broader HK patient population in 56 countries worldwide, including the U.S., the EU and China.

The Anglo-Swedish drugmaker said it scrapped the two trials, which were known as STABILIZE-CKD and DIALIZE-Outcomes Phase III evidence, due to substantially increased enrolment timelines and low event rates, respectively.

The AstraZeneca logo is pictured outside the AstraZeneca office building in Brussels as part of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccination campaign, Belgium, January 28, 2021. REUTERS/Johanna Geron/File Photo

In the first nine months of 2023, Lokelma brought in sales of $300 million for the FTSE 100 firm, according to its latest earnings report.

AstraZeneca bought the drug's original developer ZS Pharma for $2.7 billion in 2015, one of several bolt-on acquisitions designed to help build up its pipeline of new drugs.

Shares in AstraZeneca were up 0.5% at 1100 GMT, compared with a 0.6% rise in London's blue-chip index.

(Reporting by Eva Mathews in Bengaluru; Editing by Rashmi Aich, Mrigank Dhaniwala and Alexander Smith)

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