Asahi Kasei Therapeutics, Inc. is the U.S. headquarters and a key operating subsidiary of the global specialty pharmaceutical business of Asahi Kasei Corporation, a major Japanese industrial conglomerate.
Based in Cary, North Carolina, the company specializes in the development and commercialization of pharmaceuticals for organ transplantation, nephrology, and infectious diseases. Its flagship product, Envarsus XR, is an extended-release formulation of tacrolimus that utilizes proprietary drug delivery technology to prevent kidney transplant rejection. The company has a strong commercial presence in the United States for transplant medicines.
Formerly known as Veloxis Pharmaceuticals, it was rebranded in September 2026 as part of Asahi Kasei's unification of its pharmaceutical operations under the single Asahi Kasei Therapeutics brand across the U.S., Europe, and Japan. This followed acquisitions of Veloxis in 2020, Calliditas Therapeutics in 2024, and AiCuris in 2026, which expanded its pipeline into kidney diseases and antivirals.
The company is advancing a pipeline that includes AIC468, an investigational antisense oligonucleotide for BK virus infection in kidney transplant recipients, for which the first patient was dosed in a Phase 2a trial in October 2026. It is wholly owned by Asahi Kasei Corp. and contributes to the group's strategy to grow pharmaceutical sales significantly by fiscal 2030 through in-licensing and addressing unmet medical needs in specialty areas.
None yet. When a new project in the record names Asahi Kasei Therapeutics as owner, partner or investor, it shows here.
Oral helicase‑primase inhibitor pritelivir is the first novel‑mechanism FDA‑approved HSV therapy in ~30 years; Phase 3 showed 63% vs 34% healing by Day 28. US availability expected before end of 2026.
First patient dosed in a randomized Phase 2a trial of AIC468, an antisense oligonucleotide targeting BK virus in adult kidney transplant recipients.
