AstraZeneca: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved a drug for the treatment of a rare kidney disease in adults.

AstraZeneca said the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted accelerated approval to its drug for the treatment of immunoglobulin A nephropathy in adults, a rare kidney disease that can lead to kidney failure. AstraZeneca said that in an interim analysis of a late-stage clinical trial of the drug Ultomiris, it reduced proteinuria by 43.4% after 34 weeks compared with placebo. The pharmaceutical company said the FDA approved the drug under its accelerated approval pathway, and an ongoing trial will continue until 106 weeks to determine whether "Ultomiris" can slow the decline in kidney function, thereby providing the basis for traditional approval. The company also said the drug is the first and only C5 inhibitor approved for the treatment of this disease, and its mechanism of action targets an immune system pathway associated with kidney inflammation.