Interview: Keryx reboots disappointing product launch

Keryx Biopharmaceuticals CEO Greg Madison reveals to Mike Ward, global director of content for Informa's pharma insights portfolio, how the company turned around what was initially a disappointing launch of the company's first product. Auryxia (ferric citrate) was first launched in 2015 for the control of serum phosphorus levels in dialysis patients with chronic kidney disease. However, as Madison notes, the launch got off to a rough start with slow sales and a chorus of naysayers. Madison explains how the company revisited its launch strategy, resulting in an increase in sales. The company is now looking at a potential label extension in the US, based on data from a Phase III pivotal study evaluating Auryxia in pre-dialysis patients with iron deficiency anemia—topline results expected in 2Q 2016—and expects to identify a partner for the European market after being granted a strong label for EU marketing authorization in 2015.