For a $950 million upfront, Sobi is all set to get rights to pozdeutinurad – oral URAT1 inhibitor that performed pretty well in the Phase II studies.
Sobi is taking over Arthrosi Therapeutics, which is California-based, in a move to join the growing group of biopharma companies that are predominantly playing in the gout arena.
Notably, the Swedish pharma is fronting $950 million in cash and has also pledged almost $550 million in clinical, regulatory as well as sales milestones. Sobi and Arthrosi both expect to close the transaction in the first half of 2026, pending the antitrust clearances as well as certain other customary closing conditions.
Interestingly, Sobi is going to fund the purchase mainly by way of debt, the company said in a December 13 press release; however, it expects the Arthrosi acquisition to be highly accretive when it comes to its mid- and long-term growth.
The fact is that the centerpiece of the December 13 deal is pozdeutinurad, which is a next-generation Oral URAT1 Inhibitor protein – a molecule that goes on to play a major role when it comes to uric acid reabsorption. This mechanism, as per the website of Arthrosi, goes on to boost the excretion of uric acid through the kidneys, therefore helping with keeping the concentrations well within the normal range.
Mid-stage data went ahead and demonstrated a 50 mg dose of posudeutinurad lowered serum uric acid levels to below 5 mg/dL in 93% of patients, as against 11% in comparators on allopurinol, along with 33% in those who were treated with febuxostat. Allopurinol as well as febuxostat are FDA-approved drugs when it comes to uric acid control. A 75 mg dose of posdeutinurad went on to demonstrate much better efficacy, suppressing uric acid to below 4 mg/dL in 88% of the treated patients, as per the website of Arthrosi.
Pozdeutinurad is at present in two Phase III studies, one pertaining to progressive gout and the other one for tophaceous gout. Data from these trials are anticipated in 2026, confirmed Sobi on December 13.
According to Guido Oelkers, the CEO of Sobi, in a prepared statement, Pozdeutinurad definitely has the potential to become a therapy of choice for patients who have progressive gout with persistent as well as unresolved symptoms.
It is well to be noted that the Sobi takeover comes only two months after Arthrosi went ahead and closed a Series E round in early October 2025, thereby bringing in $153 mn in terms of proceeds. Out of it, much of the money was earmarked to fund the late-stage development of poseltinurad.
Elsewhere within the gout spectrum, Crystalys Therapeutics, which is a Novo Nordisk-backed startup, was launched in late September 2025 with $205 million in Series A funds. Crystalis is testing its dotinurad, which, like posdeutinurad, is an oral URAT1 blocker, within the Phase III trials for gout. The biotech went on to dose its first patient in October 2025.
Also in September 2025, Atom Therapeutics went ahead and declared a Phase IIb/III win for lingdolinurad, the URAT1 blocker, which demonstrated quite remarkable urate-lowering effects, the Chinese biotech had claimed at that time.
