Allena Pharmaceuticals and Althea Technologies have entered a licensing agreement under which Allena has obtained exclusive worldwide rights to Althea’s hyperoxaluria portfolio, including product patents, regulatory information and development data related to oxalate degrading enzymes.

This license agreement strengthens Allena’s ongoing R&D activities for ALLN-177, its orally delivered enzyme therapy, and helps advance the company’s clinical development program for patients with hyperoxaluria. Hyperoxaluria is characterized by excessively high levels of oxalate in the urine, which can lead to kidney stones or chronic kidney disease.

“Currently there are no effective pharmacological treatments for hyperoxaluria or the nearly 2.6 million Americans who suffer from kidney stones annually,” said Alexey Margolin, Ph.D., co-founder, president and chief executive officer of Allena Pharmaceuticals. “Given this unmet need, there is significant demand for a novel, convenient therapy like ALLN-177. The license of this portfolio enables us to accelerate our current hyperoxaluria program, including starting clinical trials in hyperoxaluria patients early next year.”

“There is significant value and opportunity in this hyperoxaluria portfolio and a real patient need for an effective treatment. We know the Allena team and feel they are best equipped to translate the potential of this portfolio and the previous clinical findings into a new and novel protein therapy,” said Magda Marquet, Ph.D., founder and co-chairman of Althea Technologies. “We are looking forward to working closely with the Allena team to support the development of ALLN-177.”