May 29 (Reuters) - Agios Pharmaceuticals ( AGIO ) said

on Friday it will stop developing its experimental drug for a

form of blood cancer after a mid-stage trial failed to show

enough benefit.

The drugmaker's shares fell 1.3% in premarket trading.

The company said the 65-patient study did not meet the

predefined threshold for developing the drug, named tebapivat,

to treat lower-risk myelodysplastic syndromes, a group of

diseases in which the bone marrow does not make enough healthy

blood cells.

The drugmaker said tebapivat was generally well-tolerated,

with no new safety concerns.

The Cambridge, Massachusetts-based company said it will

continue testing the drug for sickle cell disease, with early

results expected in the second half of 2026.