Vertex is putting marketing might behind its push into kidney conditions, profiling a patient’s experience of being diagnosed with a genetic disease as part of its commemoration of kidney disease awareness month.
March marks National Kidney Month, and Vertex took to Instagram this week to discuss its work to “amplify the stories and experiences of those affected by serious kidney diseases.”
“Join us as we recognize National Kidney Month, celebrating the community that drives our research efforts and inspires us to work tirelessly toward our goal of making a transformative impact,” Vertex wrote in a post at the start of this week.
The big biotech followed up with two cuts of a video about a 31-year-old mom who was diagnosed with APOL1-mediated kidney disease (AMKD). The Instagram posts feature clips from a longer video that Vertex uploaded to YouTube.
All three cuts of the video start with Sharron Rouse describing the day a “doctor pulled back the curtain and ... said, ‘Your kidneys are failing.’”
Rouse had presented with symptoms including intense swelling in her legs that she originally thought could be linked to her lupus. Instead, the doctor, who Rouse said “looked confused” by the diagnosis, admitted her patient to the emergency room with kidney failure. Rouse was soon diagnosed with focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS).
More than 10 years and one successful kidney transplant later, an at-home genetic test showed Rouse had APOL1 risk variants, and she was ultimately diagnosed with AMKD.
People with the genetic kidney disease can present with a range of conditions, including FSGS, which is characterized by scarring of the blood-filtering parts of the kidney. The FDA is yet to approve a treatment for AMKD, but R&D has advanced in the 15 years since scientists discovered that people who inherit two variants in the APOL1 gene are at increased risk of kidney disease.
Vertex has stepped up its interest in kidney disease over the past year, moving inaxaplin into a phase 2/3 AMKD trial at the start of April and inking a $4.9 billion deal to buy Alpine Immune Sciences days later. Buying Alpine gave Vertex control of povetacicept, a dual B cell cytokine agonist that is in phase 3 development as a treatment for IgA nephropathy.
The big biotech could face competition in the AMKD market. Maze Therapeutics recently started a phase 2 trial of its AMKD candidate MZE829. AstraZeneca is following close behind, with a phase 2 study of its AMKD prospect AZD2373 set to start enrolling patients this month.