Akebia Therapeutics, Inc.AKBA
Akebia Therapeutics, Inc. Leases Disclosure
LEASES
Cambridge Lease
Under the Cambridge Lease, the Company leases approximately 65,167 square feet of office, storage and laboratory space in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The term of the Cambridge Lease with respect to the 59,216 square feet of office and storage space expires on September 11, 2026, with one five-year extension option available. The term of the Cambridge Lease with respect to the 5,951 square feet of the laboratory space expires on September 11, 2026, with one two-year extension option available. In addition to rent, the Company is required to pay additional amounts for taxes, insurance, maintenance, and other operating expenses.
The Cambridge Lease is non-cancelable and is classified as an operating lease. The renewal options with respect to the office, storage and the lab space of the Cambridge Lease were not included in the calculation of the right-of-use asset and operating lease liability as the renewals were not reasonably certain. The Cambridge Lease does not contain residual value guarantees. The components of lease right-of-use assets and lease liabilities are included in the consolidated balance sheets. Operating lease liabilities are based on the net present value of the remaining lease payments over the remaining lease term. In determining the present value of lease payments, the Company used its incremental borrowing rate when measuring operating lease liabilities. In arriving at the operating lease liabilities, the Company applied incremental borrowing rates ranging from 6.65% to 6.94%, which were based on the remaining lease term at either the date of adoption of ASC 842, Leases, or the effective date of any subsequent lease term extensions. As of December 31, 2025, the remaining lease term for the Cambridge Lease was 0.70 years.
Operating lease costs were $5.0 million for each of the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024 and $5.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2023. Cash paid for amounts included in the measurement of operating lease liabilities were $5.8 million, $5.7 million and $5.9 million for the years ended December 31, 2025, 2024 and 2023, respectively. The security deposit in connection with the Cambridge Lease is $1.7 million in the form of a letter of credit, which is included as restricted cash in prepaid expenses and other current assets in the Company's consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2025 and in other long-term assets in the Company's consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2024.
Sublease and Former Boston Lease
Previously, the Company leased 27,924 square feet of office space in Boston, Massachusetts, or the Boston Lease, under a non-cancelable operating lease that was set to expire in July 2031. The Company subleased the entire Boston Lease, effective October 2019 through February 2023. The Company recorded no rental income for each of the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024 and $0.3 million in rental income as other income in the consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss during the year ended December 31, 2023.
In May 2023, pursuant to a Lease Assignment Agreement, or the Lease Assignment Agreement, the Company assigned all of its rights, title, and interest in, to, and under the Boston Lease to LG Chem Life Sciences Innovation Center, Inc., or LG Chem, and made a payment to LG Chem of $1.3 million. As of May 2023, LG Chem assumed all of the rights and obligations of the Company under the Boston Lease and the Company has no further obligations for rent or other payments under the Boston Lease. In accordance with ASC 842, Leases, the Company wrote off the right-of-use asset and lease liability associated with the Boston Lease, and recognized the difference between the right-of-use asset and the lease liability offset by the $1.3 million payment as a loss on lease termination in the consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss of $0.5 million during the year ended December 31, 2023.
Future Lease Commitments
Future commitments under the non-cancelable Cambridge Lease are as follows (in thousands):
Operating Lease | ||||||||
| 2026 | $ | 3,613 | ||||||
| Less: present value adjustment | (65) | |||||||
| Current operating lease liabilities | $ | 3,548 | ||||||
See Note 18, Subsequent Events, for information regarding the Waltham Lease (as defined below).
Historical Timeline
| Fiscal Year | Filed | |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Feb 26, 2026 | Showing above |
| 2024 | Mar 13, 2025 | |
| 2023 | Mar 14, 2024 | |
About Leases Disclosures
Lease disclosures under ASC 842 provide a comprehensive view of a company's leased asset portfolio, including the split between operating and finance leases, discount rates used to present-value future payments, and the maturity schedule of lease obligations. This section reveals a significant source of off-balance-sheet commitments that were largely hidden before the current standard.
Key signals: the weighted-average discount rate affects the size of recorded lease liabilities — a higher rate reduces the reported obligation, so compare the chosen rate against the company's incremental borrowing rate. The operating versus finance lease mix affects both EBITDA and operating income presentation. Watch the maturity table for concentration risk: large payment cliffs in specific years may create cash flow pressure. Variable lease payments excluded from the liability measurement represent real obligations that do not appear on the balance sheet. Compare total lease costs against prior-year operating lease expense to assess the true economic burden.