Boehringer Ingelheim and AstraZeneca are once again going up against each other in chronic kidney disease, with Phase II results for their rival new agents showing promise. Unfortunately, they both also lie in the path of Novo Nordisk’s cardiometabolic juggernaut, Ozempic.

With a strong late-stage anti-inflammatory molecule in its pipeline, the challenge for Abivax is to garner the funds to take its obefazimod program forward. To that end, the company is continuing to do a major overhaul of personnel and is sharpening its corporate vision.

Abivax has had its ups and downs but newly appointed CEO Marc de Garidel tells Scrip he is confident that the French group is onto a winner with its ulcerative colitis drug, obefazimod.

The German firm is anticipating a major label expansion in kidney disease for its SGL2 inhibitor later this year, prompting Boehringer to gear up commercial activities as AstraZeneca’s rival Farxiga faces the threat of generic competition.