Akebia Loses Appeal Over Medicare Reimbursement for Kidney Drug

The First Circuit on Wednesday denied Akebia Therapeutics Inc.'s bid for an order requiring CMS to pay for Auryxia while a suit alleging the agency improperly removed the drug from a list of Medicare Part D covered products plays out, because the drugmaker didn’t show it is likely to win.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the division of the Health and Human Services Department that determines which drugs will be covered by Medicare Part D, acted reasonably when it concluded that Auryxia falls within a class of “mineral products” excluded from coverage when used for certain purposes, the ...