Rita Jain, M.D. has been appointed senior vice president and chief medical officer, Akebia Therapeutics, Inc. Dr. Jain will be responsible for leading the clinical development of the company’s HIF pipeline, including the global Phase III development program for vadadustat, an oral HIF stabilizer in development for the treatment of anemia related to chronic kidney disease. Dr. Jain succeeds Brad Maroni, M.D. who will remain at Akebia as a medical advisor.
 
Dr. Jain joins the company from AbbVie, where she most recently served as vice president of Men’s and Women’s Health and Metabolic Development. While at AbbVie and Abbott she oversaw the development of more than 15 new chemical entities and marketed products. She has also held leadership roles at Pharmacia Corp., as well as a faculty position at the North Shore University Hospital.
 
“Rita has more than 20 years of drug development experience, and having directed multiple registration trials as well as a large cardiovascular patient outcomes-driven trial, her expertise will be particularly relevant to her role at Akebia,” said John P. Butler, President and Chief Executive Officer of Akebia. “Her experience working with key opinion leaders and collaborators will be important as we complete clinical development of vadadustat, prepare for regulatory submissions and set the stage for commercialization. I’d like to thank Brad for his many contributions to the development of vadadustat and our pipeline, and we are pleased that he will be an advisor to Akebia.”