Novo Nordisk is purchasing a kidney drug from KBP Biosciences PTE in a deal worth up to $1.3 billion, the company announced Monday morning.

The Danish drugmaker is buying ocedurenone, an orally administered, small molecule, non-steroidal mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist (nsMRA). The drug is currently being examined in a Phase 3 trial CLARION-CKD for treating patients with uncontrolled hypertension and advanced chronic kidney disease (CKD), which affects an estimated 37 million Americans. 

The Phase 3 trial began in late 2021 and will continue as planned with more than 600 patients participating. 

As it relates to the deal, following the receipt of regulatory approvals and customary closing conditions, Novo’s acquisition is set to close by the end of the year.

“Hypertension is a leading risk factor for cardiovascular events, heart failure, chronic kidney disease and premature death,” Martin Holst Lange, EVP and head of Development at Novo Nordisk. “With its expected benefit-risk profile, ocedurenone has best-in-class potential in treating uncontrolled hypertension and could help address a major unmet medical need in people living with cardiovascular disease and chronic kidney disease.”

According to a company press release, ocedurenone has also been investigated in nine clinical trials and its Phase 2b BLOCK-CKD trial met its primary endpoint of improving systolic blood pressure from baseline to day 84. Additional Phase 3 trials for cardiovascular and kidney disease indications are expected in the coming years.

Novo has been on a hot buying streak throughout 2023, nabbing obesity biotech Embark Laboratories in a deal worth up to $500 million over the summer. 

The deal with KBP Biosciences also comes about two months after Novo announced it was buying Inversago Pharma for $1.08 billion and picking up its lead candidate, INV-202, which is an oral CB1 inverse agonist being investigated for diabetic kidney disease.

The ocedurenone acquisition was announced less than a week after Novo said it would halt a Phase 3b trial testing the efficacy of GLP-1 drug semaglutide in slowing the progression of kidney disease.

Outside of Novo’s news and developments, the kidney care treatment space has seen a flurry of activity throughout the year.

In June, Novartis bought kidney disease specialist Chinook Therapeutics for $3.2 billion upfront, with $300 million in additional milestones.

Earlier this month, Novartis said iptacopan (LNP023), its pill for a rare kidney disease, led to significantly lower protein levels among patients in a late-stage trial, setting up a potential regulatory filing next year.

Additionally, late last month the Food and Drug Administration approved Eli Lilly’s Jardiance (empagliflozin) for treating adults with CKD.