CSL and Travere Therapeutics: Delivering an innovative IgA nephropathy therapy together
Rare kidney diseases like IgA nephropathy (IgAN) are serious conditions that can lead to kidney failure. People with IgAN haven’t had many treatment choices historically and efforts to better understand, evaluate and manage IgAN have driven research across academic, clinical and industry sectors. Also known as Berger’s disease, IgAN impacts approximately 2.5 in 100,000 people globally each year, and is frequently diagnosed between 30 and 40 years of age.
In 2021, CSL entered into a collaboration with Travere Therapeutics, a biopharmaceutical company focused on rare kidney diseases, to support the international development and commercialization of sparsentan, an innovative medicine developed by Travere to help slow the disease and reduce harm to the kidneys.
Travere led the Phase 3 development program and the initial regulatory filings, while CSL obtained exclusive rights to seek regulatory authorisations, access strategies and commercialization in Europe, Australia and New Zealand. Following a successful launch in Europe, and in recognition of CSL’s strong launch expertise, the companies expanded the license agreement to cover Middle East countries, Brazil, and Chile — reflecting the strength of the collaboration and a shared commitment to deliver global reach and rapid patient access.
As of January 2025, only six months after standard marketing authorisation in Europe, sparsentan launch and reimbursement has been achieved in five countries: Germany, Switzerland, UK, Austria and Luxembourg. This milestone reflects the collaboration’s shared commitment to bring new innovative drugs as fast as possible to patients with high unmet needs.
“IgAN is a serious rare kidney disease with a more aggressive course to kidney failure than had been understood for decades. Our partnership with Travere uses the strengths of both companies to improve health outcomes, bringing hope to patients living with this condition,” said Dirk Hoheisel, SVP international, CSL.
The partnership between CSL and Travere illustrates how global medicine development increasingly depends on collaboration across organizations, geographies and disciplines.
Through this partnership, CSL aims to address the full spectrum of kidney disease across all stages of kidney disease, including from early stages to late stages and dialysis settings. Through its innovative portfolio, CSL aims to improve the lives of patients with chronic kidney disease through a broad range of therapies focused on distinct comorbidities and disease complications.
For Travere, the collaboration ensures sparsentan, developed through its focused expertise in rare kidney diseases, can reach more patients globally, while maintaining strong execution in the US and advancing its broader development pipeline. For CSL the collaboration represents an opportunity to apply its nephrology expertise and successful launch track-record to support the access of a much-needed therapy for a rare kidney disease.
“The CSL and Travere partnership for sparsentan shows that working together can speed up the arrival of new treatments and help patients globally. Our shared efforts are making a real difference for people with IgA nephropathy,” said Dirk Hoheisel, SVP international, CSL.
Reflecting how CSL partners
The CSL and Travere collaboration demonstrates several principles that guide CSL’s approach to partnerships:
- A focus on areas of unmet medical need, supported by emerging science
- Collaboration models that respect each partner’s expertise
- A commitment to high standards of clinical and regulatory rigor
- An understanding that progress in complex diseases requires long-term investment and collaboration