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Unicycive Therapeutics is redefining kidney health through breakthrough science and patient-first innovation. Learn more at Unicycive.com.

Understanding patient perspectives on challenges related to phosphate binder therapy is critical for improving adherence and phosphate management. Our recent study, in partnership with National Kidney Foundation and published in the Journal of Nephrology and Dialysis Medicine, explored these challenges.

At #KidneyWk, we presented results for our investigational phosphate binder for patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). The findings showed significant reductions in both pill volume and pill burden for CKD patients with hyperphosphatemia. Learn more about our key findings and what it could mean for patients who struggle to improve phosphate control.

As I prepare for ASN Kidney Week 2025, I’m reminded why I personally strive to attend as many medical conferences as possible — and why I believe every leader should make the same effort to participate in industry events. Four reasons stand out. 1️⃣ You need to know your audience. Whether your stakeholders are physicians, patients, or payers, you can’t lead well from behind a desk. Conferences are where you hear the real frustrations: why a doctor hesitates to prescribe, what a patient finds confusing, and how a payer evaluates value. The best ideas aren’t conceived in the boardroom. They’re formed from insights that come out of conversations with the people who will be directly impacted by the medicines you’re trying to advance. 2️⃣ You need to keep the two-way dialogue going. Understanding isn’t a one-time occurrence. It’s a continuous learning loop. I’ve been attending medical meetings for over twenty years, and every year the conversations shift: new data, new pressures, new priorities. Being present where your stakeholders are produces insights you won’t gather in a conference room or behind a computer screen. It also lets you engage in a real-time, two-way conversation, opening the door to collaboration and partnership. 3️⃣ You need to make room for serendipity. The planned meetings matter, but the unplanned ones that only happen when you get out there often matter more. Some of the most valuable insights come from a hallway chat, a dinner table debate, or an elevator ride with a dialysis organization’s medical director. You can’t plan for the organic conversation that will spark your next idea, but you can put yourself in a position to allow those conversations to happen. 4️⃣ You need to keep iterating. Every incremental insight gained from stakeholder interactions is a vital data point. Publications, advisory boards, and casual conversations all shape how we refine and communicate our science. And often, it leads to iterating our approach in real time. Each encounter adds incremental insight that sharpens the next decision. As a leader, being there personally helps you see where your stakeholders are today, not where you assumed they’d be. It lets you allocate resources intelligently and evolve your strategy. If you’re leading a team, developing a medicine, or building a product, make time to show up, listen, and iterate. That’s where real progress starts. If you’ll be attending ASN, send me a note if you’d like to connect. Who knows where that organic conversation could lead 🙂. #KidneyWk

We’re committed to advancing a solution that enhances phosphate control while reducing pill size and count, boosting adherence and empowering those on dialysis to manage their #hyperphosphatemia treatment more effectively. Learn more about our lead asset’s potential: https://unicycive.com/olc/

Managing hyperphosphatemia is a major challenge for up to 75% of patients on dialysis due to high pill burden. In our sponsored STAT article, Pablo Pergola shares how new innovations, including our investigational therapy, aim to simplify treatment.