Prospectus supplement summary
The items in the following summary are described in more detail later in this prospectus supplement and in the accompanying prospectus. This summary provides an
overview of selected information and does not contain all the information you should consider before investing in our common stock. Therefore, you should read the entire prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus and any free writing
prospectus that we have authorized for use in connection with this offering carefully, including the Risk factors section and other documents or information included or incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement and the
accompanying prospectus before making any investment decision.
Overview
ChemoCentryx is a biopharmaceutical company developing new medications targeted at inflammatory disorders, autoimmune diseases and cancer. Each of our drug candidates is designed to selectively block a specific
chemoattractant receptor, leaving the rest of the immune system intact. Our drug candidates are small molecules, which are orally administered, and, if approved, would address unmet medical needs, including improved efficacy, and offer significant
quality of life benefits, since patients swallow a capsule or pill instead of having to visit a clinic for an infusion or undergo an injection.
In 2016,
we executed on our strategy to form an alliance with a partner that could provide upfront fees and milestone payments to support the clinical development of our two leading drug candidates, avacopan and CCX140, to registration and pay us royalties
upon sales in international markets, while we develop our own commercial infrastructure to sell directly in the United States.
To help communicate the
breadth of our drug discovery platform, we have segmented our pipeline into early stage and late stage drug candidates.
Late stage drug
candidates
We have chosen to focus initially on orphan indications, where drug candidates tend to enjoy a faster path to market and better
reimbursement. Our leading drug candidates address areas of clear unmet need, where the current standard of care, or SOC, is insufficient to halt progression of the disease and/or where todays treatment options come with serious side effects,
such as those which accompany the prolonged use of steroids:
Avacopan (CCX168) complement inhibition in orphan diseases
Avacopan (formerly CCX168) is an orally-administered complement inhibitor targeting the C5a receptor, or C5aR, and is being developed for orphan diseases, including
(i) anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic auto-antibody associated vasculitis, or AAV, a devastating autoimmune disease that damages blood vessels and can lead to kidney failure; (ii) complement 3 glomerulopathy, or C3G, a debilitating disease that
can lead to kidney failure; and (iii) hidradenitis suppurativa, or HS, a chronic, inflammatory, debilitating skin disease characterized by recurrent, painful, nodules and abscesses, ultimately leading to the formation of draining fistulas (also
known as sinus tracts) as well as scarring.
Avacopan has been granted orphan drug designation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, for the
treatment of AAV and C3G and by the European Medicines Agency, or EMA, for the treatment of C3G and microscopic polyangiitis and granulomatosis with polyangiitis, both forms of AAV. Additionally, avacopan has