6-K

UNITED STATESSECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION Washington, D.C. 20549

Form 6-K

REPORT OF FOREIGN PRIVATE ISSUER PURSUANT TO RULE 13a-16 OR 15d-16UNDER THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the month of November 2021

Commission File Number: 001-40858

XORTX Therapeutics Inc.

Suite 2400 - 745 Thurlow Street, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, V6E 0C5

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant files or will file annual reports under cover Form 20-F or Form 40-F.

Form 20-F ☒ Form 40-F ☐

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is submitting the Form 6-K in paper as permitted by Regulation S-T Rule 101(b)(1): ____

Note: Regulation S-T Rule 101(b)(1) only permits the submission in paper of a Form 6-K if submitted solely to provide an attached annual report to security holders.

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is submitting the Form 6-K in paper as permitted by Regulation S-T Rule 101(b)(7): ____

Note: Regulation S-T Rule 101(b)(7) only permits the submission in paper of a Form 6-K if submitted to furnish a report or other document that the registrant foreign private issuer must furnish and make public under the laws of the jurisdiction in which the registrant is incorporated, domiciled or legally organized (the registrant’s “home country”), or under the rules of the home country exchange on which the registrant’s securities are traded, as long as the report or other document is not a press release, is not required to be and has not been distributed to the registrant’s security holders, and, if discussing a material event, has already been the subject of a Form 6-K submission or other Commission filing on EDGAR.

SIGNATURE

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.

EXHIBIT INDEX

XORTXTherapeutics Clarifies Halt of Trading in Canada and Timing for Commencement of Trading

on TSX Venture Exchange

CALGARY, AB – November 4, 2021– XORTX Therapeutics Inc. ("XORTX" or the “Company”) (TSXV: XRTX | NASDAQ: XRTX), a pharmaceutical therapeutics company focused on developing innovative therapies to treat progressive kidney disease, wishes to clarify that the Company’s common shares were halted on both the TSX Venture Exchange (the “TSXV”) and the Canadian Securities Exchange (the “CSE”) to finalize the de-listing procedures required on the CSE. The common shares will be de-listed from the CSE at close of market today and the common shares will re-commence trading tomorrow, Friday, November 5, on the TSXV under the trading symbol XRTX.

Shareholders are not required to exchange their share certificates or take any other action in connection with the TSXV listing, as there will be no change in the CUSIP for the common shares.

AboutXORTX Therapeutics Inc.

XORTX Therapeutics Inc. is a pharmaceutical company with two clinically advanced products in development – XRx-008 for Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease (ADPKD), XRx-101 for acute kidney injury associated with Coronavirus / COVID-19 infection and XRx-225 is a pre-clinical stage program for Type 2 Diabetic Nephropathy (T2DN). XORTX is working to advance its clinical development stage products that target aberrant purine metabolism and xanthine oxidase to decrease or inhibit production of uric acid. At XORTX Therapeutics, we are dedicated to developing medications to improve the quality of life and future health of patients. Additional information on XORTX Therapeutics is available at www.xortx.com.

For further information, please contact:

Dr. David Sans, Head of Corporate Development in New York City

[email protected] or +1 347 573 0541

TheTSX Venture Exchange and Nasdaq have neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this news release. No stock exchange, securitiescommission or other regulatory authority has approved or disapproved the information contained herein.