- AK1960, an ETA receptor antagonist, entered Phase I on Feb 18, 2026 after successful preclinical studies.
- AK1960, derived from Alchemedicine's HiSAP platform, has a novel core, high ETA selectivity and showed efficacy in animal kidney disease models.
- Asahi Kasei Pharma holds worldwide development and commercialization rights under a 2022 exclusive license; preclinical and Phase I work is in Japan but the program targets global markets and will leverage Calliditas and Veloxis for development.
Phase I initiation
On February 18, 2026 Asahi Kasei Pharma and Alchemedicine advanced AK1960, an endothelin A (ETA) receptor antagonist, into a Phase I clinical study in Japan following successful preclinical studies.
Compound profile and indication
AK1960 is a small molecule derived from Alchemedicine's HiSAP™ platform with a novel core structure; it demonstrates high ETA selectivity, potent receptor inhibition and efficacy in animal models of kidney disease, targeting refractory chronic kidney diseases and other conditions resistant to standard therapies.
Rights and development scope
Asahi Kasei Pharma holds worldwide rights under a 2022 exclusive license to develop and commercialize the compound; while early clinical work is in Japan the program is intended for global markets and will leverage Calliditas Therapeutics AB and Veloxis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. for further development.
