March 28 (Reuters) - Bristol Myers Squibb ( BMY ) said

on Thursday its experimental drug to treat Crohn's disease, a

chronic inflammatory bowel condition, did not help patients

achieve disease remission in a late-stage study.

Crohn's is a chronic bowel disease that causes inflammation

in the digestive tract, and can lead to diarrhea, abdominal

pain, fatigue and weight loss. It affects about 12.6 million

people worldwide, according to the company.

The drug, ozanimod, was added to the U.S. drugmaker's

portfolio through its $74 billion buyout of Celgene in 2019.

Ozanimod did not help patients achieve a state where they

were no longer experiencing any gastrointestinal symptoms after

12 weeks, compared to a placebo, the company said.

Branded as Zeposia, ozanimod is approved in the U.S. to treat

another chronic inflammatory bowel disease, ulcerative colitis,

and certain relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis in adults. It

generated global sales of $434 million in 2023.

Bristol Myers said it will evaluate the trial data and work

with investigators to share the results with the scientific

community.

Last year, the U.S. health regulator approved AbbVie's ( ABBV )

Rinvoq for certain adult patients with moderately to

severely active Crohn's disease.