Swedish Orphan Biovitrum AB (publ) (Sobi) has completed its acquisition of privately held Arthrosi Therapeutics, with Sobi purchasing all outstanding shares of Arthrosi’s common stock and common stock equivalents.
The deal expands Sobi’s gout franchise by bringing in pozdeutinurad (AR882), an investigational, once-daily oral URAT1 inhibitor that is being evaluated in two global Phase 3 clinical studies for progressive and tophaceous gout. Both pivotal trials, REDUCE 1 and REDUCE 2, are fully enrolled, and Sobi said data is expected in 2026.
Arthrosi, headquartered in San Diego, is focused on developing pozdeutinurad as a next-generation URAT1 inhibitor aimed at lowering serum urate levels and addressing flares and tophi in patients whose disease progresses despite first-line urate-lowering therapy. Rights to pozdeutinurad in Greater China are held by ApicHope.
Sobi positioned the acquisition as part of its broader commitment to advancing treatment options for people living with gout, a common inflammatory arthritis driven by elevated uric acid levels that can cause severe flares and, if uncontrolled over time, lead to chronic joint damage and tophi formation. The company also highlighted that uncontrolled gout is associated with increased risks of comorbidities including kidney disease and cardiovascular complications, reinforcing the need for additional therapeutic options for patients who are sub-optimally treated or do not respond to existing first-line therapies.
