Akeb
bia and Mitssubishi Tanab
be Pharma A
Announce Co
ollaboration to Develop aand Commerrcialize
Vaadadustat in Asia– Agrreement Inclu
udes Total U
Upfront and M
Milestone Payyments of up
p to $350 Milllion, Includin
ng $100
Million in Up
pfront and Deevelopment Payments,P
ass well as Tierred Double D
Digit Royaltiess –CAMBRIDGE, Mass., and OSAKA, Japan, December 15, 201
15 ‐‐ Akebia TTherapeuticss, Inc. (NASD
DAQ:AKBA),
be Pharma C
Corporation (TTSE:4508) (MMTPC) annou
unced today thatt
they havve enteredand Mitssubishi Tanab
into a deevelopment aand commerrcialization aggreement forr vadadustatt, an oral therapy for the treatmentof anemia related to chronic kidn
ney disease (CCKD), in Japaan and certain other counntries in Asia.
he terms of the agreemennt, MTPC will make paym
ments up to $$100 million forf developm
ment costs
Under thof vadad
dustat, includ
ding $40 milliion after sign
ning. In addittion, Akebia iis eligible to receive up tooapproxim
mately $250 million in additional mileestone paymeents, based u
upon achieveement of cerrtain
developmment and salles milestonees. MTPC will also make ttiered royaltyy payments, from low teeens up totwenty percent,pon ssales of vadad
dustat in thee territory, which includess Japan, Taiwwan, South Ko
orea,
Singaporre, Malaysia, Indonesia and other Asiaan countries.
ustat offers a new paradiggm for the trreatment of aanemia for CKD
C patients. This partnerrship with
“VadaduMTPC vaalidates vadadustat’s therrapeutic poteential and heelps ensure that its poten
ntial is realizeed in Asia,”
said Johnn P. Butler, P
President andd CEO of Akebia. “MTPC is one of the largest, mosst successful
pharmacceutical comppanies in Jap
pan with a substantial preesence in theese Asian markets. They aarecommittted to the development anda commerccialization off innovative pproducts, witth a strategicc focus on
productss for renal dissease and diabetes, making them an ideal partner for Akebia.”
nic kidney dissease remain
ns a significannt unmet“A saferr treatment ffor managingg anemia relaated to chronneed gloobally,” stated Masayuki M
Mitsuka; President and R
Representativve Director, CCEO of Mitsuubishi
Tanabe P
Pharma Corpporation. “WWe see great potential in vvadadustat to advance th
he care of chronic
kidney disease patiennts. We lookk forward to our collaboration with Akebia.”

About Vadadustat
Vadadusstat is an oral therapy currrently in devvelopment foor the treatm
ment of anem
mia related too chronic
kidney disease (CKD)). Vadadustatt is designed to stabilize HIF,
H a transcription factor that regulates theexpressio
on of genes involvediwithh red blood ccell (RBC) pro
oduction in response to changescin oxxygen
levels, byy inhibiting the hypoxia‐inducible facttor prolyl hyd
droxylase (HIF‐PH) enzym
me. Vadadusttat
exploits the same meechanism of action used by the body to naturally adapt to low
wer oxygen avvailability
associateed with a mooderate increease in altitud
de. The body responds to lower oxyggen availabiliity withincreased productionn of HIF, whicch coordinates the interd
dependent processes of iron mobilization anderythrop
poietin (EPO) production to increase R
RBC productiion and, ultim
mately, impro
ove oxygen ddelivery.
As a HIF stabilizer witth best‐in‐claass potential, vadadustatt raises hemo
oglobin levelss predictablyy andsustainably, with a doosing regimeen that allow
ws for a gradu
ual and contrrolled titratio
on. Vadadusttat has
been shoown to impro
ove iron mobbilization, potentially reducing the need for iron supplementattion.
1

About Anemia Related to CKD
In Japan, approximately 11 million people include in dialysis patients (about 320,000 people) have CKD
stage 3 or higher, with many patients suffering from anemia. Anemia results from the body's inability tocoordinate RBC production in response to lower oxygen levels due to the progressive loss of kidney
function, which occurs in patients with CKD. Left untreated, anemia significantly accelerates patients'
overall deterioration of health with increased morbidity and mortality.
About Akebia Therapeutics
Akebia Therapeutics, Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts,
focused on delivering innovative therapies to patients with kidney disease through HIF biology. Thecompany has completed Phase 2 development of its lead product candidate, vadadustat, an oral therapy
for the treatment of anemia related to CKD in both non‐dialysis and dialysis patients, and plans toinitiate its Phase 3 program in 2015. http://akebia.com/
About Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Corporation
Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Corporation is a research‐driven pharmaceutical company based in Osaka,
Japan. MTPC is taking on the challenge of drug discovery in the fields of autoimmune disorders, central
nervous system diseases, diabetes and kidney diseases, and vaccines. To those ends, MTPC isstrengthening its R&D pipeline. MTPC contributes to the healthier lives of people around the world
through the creation of pharmaceuticals. http://www.mt‐pharma.co.jp/e.
Akebia Contacts
Investors:Ed Joyce
Phone: (617) 844‐6130
Email: ejoyce@akebia.com

Media:Eliza Schleifstein
Phone: (917) 763‐8106
Email: Eliza@argotpartners.com

Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Contacts
Investors: / Media:
Phone: +81‐6‐6205‐5211###2