Amgen Ending Heart-Failure Collaboration With Cytokinetics

By Colin Kellaher

Amgen Inc. on Monday said it is ending its heart-failure collaboration with Cytokinetics Inc. following disappointing study results.

The Thousand Oaks, Calif., biotechnology company said it will transition the development and commercialization rights for omecamtiv mecarbil and AMG 594 to Cytokinetics, effective May 20, 2021.

Amgen and Cytokinetics last month said a pivotal Phase 3 study of omecamtiv mecarbil in patients with heart failure met its primary composite endpoint but missed its secondary endpoint. The drug showed a statistically significant effect to reduce cardiovascular death or heart failure events compared to placebo in patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction, but no reduction in the secondary endpoint of cardiovascular death was observed.

Amgen, which in 2006 formed a collaboration with South San Francisco, Calif., biopharmaceutical company Cytokinetics to discover, develop and commercialize potential treatments for heart failure, on Monday said it remains committed to its cardiovascular-disease program, but that the study results "did not meet the high bar we had set."

Cytokinetics said it is committed to advancing omecamtiv mecarbil, citing the positive results in the primary endpoint. The company said it has received positive feedback from key heart-failure opinion leaders, with particular interest in the potential role of the drug for patients who remain at risk for hospitalization despite being treated with standard-of-care regimens.

Cytokinetics said it expects to seek regulatory feedback regarding a potential registration path for omecamtiv mecarbil, subject to cooperation and transitions from Amgen.

Write to Colin Kellaher at [e-mail]

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

November 23, 2020 10:18 ET (15:18 GMT)

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