KERX Keryx Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. (delisted)

Keryx Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq:KERX), a biopharmaceutical company focused on bringing innovative medicines to people with kidney disease, today announced that it will release its third quarter 2018 financial results on Thursday, November 8, 2018 at approximately 4:30 p.m. ET.

Keryx will not be conducting a conference call in conjunction with its third quarter 2018 earnings release given its pending merger with Akebia Therapeutics, Inc.

About Keryx Biopharmaceuticals

Keryx Biopharmaceuticals, Inc., headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, is focused on the development and commercialization of innovative medicines that provide unique and meaningful advantages to people with kidney disease. The Keryx team works with passion to advance the care of people with this complex disease. This dedication has resulted in two FDA-approved indications for Keryx’s first medicine, Auryxia (ferric citrate) tablets. For more information about Keryx, please visit www.keryx.com.

Additional Information and Where to Find It

In connection with the proposed merger, Akebia has filed with the SEC a Registration Statement on Form S-4, which, as amended, includes a final prospectus with respect to the shares of Akebia’s common stock to be issued in the proposed merger and a definitive joint proxy statement of Keryx and Akebia with respect to the proposed merger. The Registration Statement was declared effective by the SEC on October 30, 2018 and the definitive joint proxy statement was mailed or otherwise made available to Keryx’s and Akebia’s respective stockholders on or about the date of this release. BEFORE MAKING ANY VOTING DECISION, KERYX’S AND AKEBIA’S RESPECTIVE STOCKHOLDERS ARE URGED TO READ THE JOINT PROXY STATEMENT/PROSPECTUS IN ITS ENTIRETY AND ANY OTHER DOCUMENTS FILED BY EACH OF AKEBIA AND KERYX WITH THE SEC IN CONNECTION WITH THE PROPOSED MERGER OR INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE THEREIN BECAUSE THEY WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT THE PROPOSED TRANSACTION AND THE PARTIES TO THE PROPOSED TRANSACTION. Investors and stockholders can obtain a free copy of the joint proxy statement/prospectus and other documents containing important information about Akebia and Keryx, once such documents are filed with the SEC, through the website maintained by the SEC at www.sec.gov. Akebia and Keryx make available free of charge at www.akebia.com and www.keryx.com, respectively (in the “Investors” section), copies of materials they file with, or furnish to, the SEC.

Participants in the Merger Solicitation

Akebia, Keryx and their respective directors, executive officers and certain employees and other persons may be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies from the stockholders of Akebia and Keryx in connection with the proposed merger. Information regarding the interests of such individuals in the proposed merger, by security holdings or otherwise, is included in the joint proxy statement/prospectus relating to the proposed merger that has been filed with the SEC. In addition, security holders may obtain information regarding the names, affiliations and interests of Akebia’s directors and officers in Akebia’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2017, which was filed with the SEC on March 12, 2018, and its definitive proxy statement for the 2018 annual meeting of stockholders, which was filed with the SEC on April 30, 2018, and information regarding the names, affiliations and interests of Keryx’s directors and officers in Keryx’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2017, which was filed with the SEC on February 21, 2018, and the Amendment No. 1 on Form 10-K/A, which was filed with the SEC on April 30, 2018, and its definitive proxy statement for the 2018 annual meeting of stockholders, which was filed with the SEC on May 31, 2018. To the extent the holdings of Akebia securities by Akebia’s directors and executive officers or the holdings of Keryx securities by Keryx’s directors and executive officers have changed since the amounts set forth in the joint proxy statement/prospectus, such changes have been or will be reflected on Statements of Change in Ownership on Form 4 filed with the SEC. These documents (when available) may be obtained free of charge from the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov, Akebia’s website at www.akebia.com and Keryx’s website at www.keryx.com.

This document does not constitute a solicitation of proxy, an offer to purchase or a solicitation of an offer to sell any securities.

Forward Looking Statements

Some of the statements included in this release, including those regarding the proposed merger, may be forward-looking statements that involve a number of risks and uncertainties. For those statements, Keryx claims the protection of the safe harbor for forward-looking statements contained in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Among the factors that could cause Keryx’s actual results to differ materially are the following: Keryx’s ability to successfully market Auryxia and whether Keryx can increase adoption of Auryxia in patients with chronic kidney disease on dialysis and for the treatment of iron deficiency anemia in patients with chronic kidney disease, not on dialysis; whether Keryx can maintain its operating expenses to projected levels while continuing its current clinical, regulatory and commercial activities; Keryx’s ability to continue to supply Auryxia to the market; the risk that changes in the mix of payors between private and government sponsored insurers and other payors will increase Keryx’s gross-to-net adjustment greater than Keryx anticipate; risks related to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ determinations with respect to Medicare Part D coverage for Auryxia; the risks associated with continued discussions among Keryx, Akebia and Panion & BF Biotech, Inc. (“Panion”) pursuant to that certain letter agreement dated October 24, 2018, and the impact thereon on the license agreement (as amended) between Keryx and Panion; the risk that the proposed merger with Akebia does not close due to the failure to obtain stockholder or regulatory approval or otherwise; the risk that Akebia’s or Keryx’s respective businesses may suffer as a result of uncertainty surrounding the merger and disruption of management’s attention due to the merger; risks that the merger disrupts current plans and operations and the potential difficulties in employee retention as a result of the merger; the risk that the expected benefits of the proposed merger or other commercial opportunities may otherwise not be fully realized or may take longer to realize than expected; and other risk factors identified from time to time in Keryx’s reports filed with the SEC and in the definitive joint proxy statement filed by Keryx and Akebia under the headings “Risk Factors-Risks Related to the Merger” and “Risk Factors-Risks Related to the Business of the Combined Company After the Merger”, which risk factors are incorporated herein by reference. Any forward looking statements set forth in this release speak only as of the date hereof. Keryx does not undertake to update any of these forward looking statements to reflect events or circumstances that occur after the date hereof.

Keryx Biopharmaceuticals ContactAmy SullivanSenior Vice President, Corporate AffairsT: (617) 466-3519investors@keryx.commedia@keryx.com