Amgen has handed back the rights to two investigational heart failure programmes to Cytokinetics after one of the drugs failed to demonstrate impressive results in a phase III study.

Amgen has terminated its collaboration with Cytokinetics and notified the company of its intension to transition the development and commercialisation rights for omecamtiv mecarbil and AMG 594.

In the GALACTIC-HF trial, omecamtiv mecarbil hit the primary endpoint of reducing the risk of cardiovascular death or heart failure events compared to placebo in chronic heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) patients. However, the drug failed to hit the key secondary endpoint of reducing the time to cardiovascular death.

“Our commitment to cardiovascular disease remains steadfast, and we look forward to continuing to work closely with the cardiovascular community as we focus on advancing our innovative therapies, including our Lp(a) inhibitor olpasiran (AMG 890), which is currently in phase II," said David Reese, executive vice president of research and development at Amgen.

"We are grateful to the investigators and patients who participated in GALACTIC-HF. Unfortunately, the results of GALACTIC-HF did not meet the high bar we had set for the programme," he added.

Amgen is also handing back the rights to AMG 594, which is currently in phase I development for HFrEF and other types of heart failure.