What Chinook Therapeutics does

Chinook Therapeutics was a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Vancouver, Canada, founded in 2019 to develop precision medicines for rare, severe chronic kidney diseases. The company's pipeline focused on IgA nephropathy and primary hyperoxaluria, conditions with limited therapeutic options and high rates of progression to kidney failure. Its core approach involved targeted drug candidates designed to address the underlying biology of specific kidney disease subtypes rather than broad-spectrum renal therapies. End users were patients with rare kidney diseases, while commercialization would have relied on specialty pharmacy and hospital distribution channels typical of biologics, with pricing determined only upon regulatory approval.

The company funded its operations through public and private capital rather than product revenue. Between 2019 and 2022, Chinook completed a $65 million Series A led by Versant Ventures (August 2019), a $106 million financing with a syndicate of healthcare specialist investors (August 2020), a $160 million upsized public offering of common stock and pre-funded warrants (November 2021), and a $105 million public stock offering (May 2022). The two public offerings were conducted on Nasdaq under the ticker KDNY. The company employed between 101 and 250 staff and was led by President & CEO Eric Dobmeier, with co-founder Ross Haghighat and a regulatory affairs leadership team.

On August 4, 2025, Novartis acquired Chinook Therapeutics as part of its strategic push into rare kidney disease therapeutics, absorbing Chinook's pipeline and ending its status as an independent, publicly traded entity.

Name

Chinook Therapeutics

Website

https://chinooktx.com

Company type

Public

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Acquired

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Chinook Therapeutics was a Vancouver-based, clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing precision drug candidates for rare kidney diseases, including IgA nephropathy and hyperoxaluria. Founded in 2019, the pre-revenue firm was acquired by Novartis in August 2025.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Rare Disease Therapeutics

akta.pro primary industry

Gastroenterology & Hepatology Pharmaceuticals (HLAIAAAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Nephrology & Urology Specialty Pharmaceuticals (HLAIACAH), Genetic & Rare Kidney Disease Clinics (HLAKAHAO)

Keywords

• Precision medicine therapeutics
• Rare kidney disease drugs
• IgA nephropathy treatments
• Biopharmaceutical drug development
• Clinical-stage biotechnology

Headquarters

HQ city

Vancouver

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations

Core offering

Chinook Therapeutics developed precision medicine drug candidates for rare, severe chronic kidney diseases, with lead clinical programs targeting IgA nephropathy (atrasentan, zigakibart, BION-1301) and primary hyperoxaluria. The company's portfolio was advanced through clinical trials for eventual commercialization in the rare kidney disease space, ultimately acquired by Novartis in August 2025 for total consideration including CVR.

Product overview

Chinook Therapeutics was a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing precision medicines for rare kidney diseases. The company's pipeline included drug candidates targeting IgA nephropathy and hyperoxaluria. Novartis acquired Chinook Therapeutics to expand its rare kidney disease portfolio.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• IgA Nephropathy Drug Candidate Clinical-stage precision medicine drug candidate (atrasentan) being developed for the treatment of IgA nephropathy, a leading cause of primary glomerulonephritis and chronic kidney disease. Targeted at patients with significant unmet medical need and limited approved disease-specific therapies.
• Hyperoxaluria Drug Candidate Clinical-stage precision medicine drug candidate (including BION-1301) for the treatment of primary hyperoxaluria, a rare metabolic kidney disorder. Targeted at patients with severe chronic kidney disease due to hyperoxaluria.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Calliditas Therapeutics: Calliditas developed and commercialized Nefecon (Tarpeyo), the first FDA-approved drug specifically for IgA nephropathy — directly overlapping Chinook's lead indication. Most relevant direct comparator in rare kidney disease therapeutics.
• Travere Therapeutics: Travere commercializes sparsentan (Filspari) for FSGS and IgA nephropathy, positioning it as a direct competitor to Chinook's IgA nephropathy program. Comparable as a clinical-stage-to-commercial rare kidney disease biotech.
• Aurinia Pharmaceuticals: Aurinia commercializes voclosporin (Lupkynis) for lupus nephritis, another rare autoimmune kidney disease. Comparable as a focused nephrology biotech addressing high-unmet-need indications with novel mechanisms.

Broad incumbents

• Otsuka Pharmaceutical: Otsuka markets tolvaptan (Jynarque) for autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD), making it a broad incumbent in rare kidney therapeutics with overlapping nephrology focus.
• Vifor Pharma (CSL Vifor): Vifor Pharma, now part of CSL, is a leader in nephrology and iron-deficiency therapies with a portfolio spanning rare kidney conditions. Comparable as a broad nephrology-focused player overlapping Chinook's therapeutic area.
• Novartis: Novartis is both Chinook's acquirer and a broad pharma incumbent with rare-disease capabilities. Directly comparable as a large strategic that values rare kidney disease assets, and now the parent of Chinook's pipeline.
• Vertex Pharmaceuticals: Vertex is a rare-disease-focused biotech with growing nephrology ambitions (e.g., acquisition of Alpine Immune Sciences). Comparable as a high-margin rare-disease innovator pursuing similar precision-medicine strategies in small populations.
• Roche: Roche operates broadly across rare and specialty diseases including nephrology-adjacent indications. Comparable as a global pharma incumbent that has historically targeted rare kidney and renal disease populations.
• Pfizer: Pfizer is a global pharmaceutical incumbent with a significant rare-disease franchise post-Seagen. Comparable as a broad incumbent that pursues rare-disease M&A and has nephrology-adjacent assets.

Emerging players

• Arcturus Therapeutics: Arcturus is an emerging clinical-stage RNA therapeutics company with programs spanning rare diseases including potential kidney applications. Comparable as an emerging player intersecting with Chinook's rare-disease strategy through novel therapeutic modalities.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds4 records

Investors13 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Chinook Therapeutics