Agios halts development of next‑generation sickle‑cell drug tebapivat after disappointing mid‑stage trial

Agios Therapeutics announced it will discontinue development of tebapivat, a next‑generation therapy for sickle cell disease, after the drug failed to demonstrate sufficient efficacy in a Phase 2 trial.

The mid‑stage study enrolled patients with sickle cell disease and assessed the drug’s impact on hemolysis and clinical outcomes. The primary endpoint was not met and secondary measures showed only modest changes.

Tebapivat represented Agios’s second attempt to bring a sickle cell treatment to market after earlier programs. The company said it will redirect resources to other pipeline candidates.

The setback highlights the difficulty of creating disease‑modifying therapies for sickle cell disease and may weigh on investor sentiment toward Agios.