Biopharmaceutical company ChemoCentryx Inc said on Friday the U.S. drug regulator approved its lead drug for treating a rare, fatal autoimmune disease.

The company said it expected to make Avacopan, sold under the brand name "Tavneos" available to clinicians and patients in the next few weeks.

Avacopan is an orally-administered drug candidate to treat antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitides (AAV) — a group of conditions characterized by destruction and inflammation of small blood vessels and affecting different organs, particularly the kidney.

It had received mixed reviews from an expert panel to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in May, with the committee's vote split 9-9 on whether the efficacy data supported the drug's approval.

Following this meeting, the company submitted in July additional data for its marketing application for Avacopan.

Avacopan works by blocking the activity of a protein called C5a receptor which is responsible for causing numerous inflammatory diseases.