Mirador acquires global rights to Kira's anti-C5a program in pre-merger deal

Mirador Therapeutics, Inc. (San Diego-based) has entered an exclusive worldwide license agreement with Kira Pharmaceuticals for KP-301, a long-acting anti-C5a antibody in development for ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) and other inflammatory conditions. Kira will receive USD 12 million upon signing plus development and sales milestones, with Mirador assuming full global rights to develop, manufacture and commercialize the KP-301 antibody across all indications.

The deal was struck on the same day Kira was acquired by Jasper Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: JSPR) in an all-stock transaction, and the merger announcement confirms that the out-licensing package also included KP-402, a small molecule C5a receptor antagonist, bundled into the same USD 12 million upfront payment.

KP-301 is designed to inhibit C5a/C5aR-mediated inflammation, a pathway implicated in AAV, a serious autoimmune condition marked by destruction of small blood vessels. The molecule incorporates pH-dependent target binding and antibody recycling technology intended to extend dosing intervals despite high target burden, a design Mirador describes as a "sweeping" mechanism for sustained C5a signaling inhibition. Mirador plans to initiate a Phase I study by year-end 2026, followed by a Phase II AAV trial in the first half of 2027.

The C5a/C5aR axis is already commercially validated: avacopan (Tavneos), an oral C5aR inhibitor developed by ChemoCentryx and now owned by Amgen, is approved for AAV. However, avacopan's position weakened in mid-2026 when the EU's CHMP recommended revoking its marketing authorization following an Article 20 review into data handling in the pivotal ADVOCATE trial, creating a potential regulatory opening for next-generation C5a inhibitors.

Competition within the pathway is intensifying from multiple directions. InflaRx N.V. (Nasdaq: IFRX) is advancing izicopan, an oral C5aR1 inhibitor with mechanistic data suggesting a differentiated safety profile versus avacopan, while the same company's anti-C5a antibody vilobelimab remains approved for COVID-19-related ARDS under the Gohibic brand. KP-301's differentiation rests on its antibody format combined with extended dosing intervals, positioning it against both oral small-molecule C5aR antagonists and other anti-C5a biologics.

Mirador's USD 12 million upfront payment for two clinical-stage assets in the same target class is modest relative to recent complement-pathway transactions. The deal structure suggests the assets were licensed as part of Kira's pre-merger portfolio rationalization rather than through a broad competitive partnering process.

The transaction extends Mirador's pattern of rapid asset accumulation since its 2024 founding. The company disclosed in January 2026 that it had closed a USD 250 million Series B round, bringing total capital raised to more than USD 650 million, while advancing a multi-asset pipeline across Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, rheumatoid arthritis and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

The C5a/C5aR space has attracted sharply varying deal economics depending on development stage and licensee scale. Biogen licensed an oral, peripherally directed C5aR1 antagonist from Vanqua Bio in a preclinical-stage deal worth up to USD 1.06 billion in total value, including a USD 70 million upfront payment--roughly six times Mirador's upfront for a bundle of two more clinically advanced assets.

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