Amgen Inc. is terminating a collaboration with Cytokinetics Inc. on the experimental heart disease drugs omecamtiv mecarbil and AMG 594, effective May 20, 2021.

Amgen decided to terminate the agreement after results of a late-stage clinical trial of omecamtiv mecarbil called Galactic-HF "did not meet the high bar we had set for the program," according to David Reese, executive vice president of research and development.

Both the drugs are meant to treat heart failure with reduced ejection fraction, or HFrEF — a condition where the heart's left ventricle does not pump as well as normal. In the Galactic study, omecamtiv mecarbil reduced heart failure in patients with the disease but did not meet a secondary goal of reducing time to cardiovascular death. The drug has been granted fast-track status by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

AMG 594 is in phase 1 development to treat HFrEF and other types of heart failure.

After the termination date, research, development and commercialization rights for the drugs will transition to Cytokinetics. Amgen granted a sublicense of omecamtiv mecarbil to LES LABORATOIRES SERVIER SAS to commercialize the drug in Europe and Russia in 2016. That agreement will remain in effect after the effective date of the termination, Cytokinetics said.

"We look forward to rapidly advancing next steps for omecamtiv mecarbil, which we expect will include discussions with regulatory authorities," said Robert Blum, President and CEO of Cytokinetics.

Amgen will instead focus on other heart disease drugs in its pipeline, including AMG 890, which is in mid-stage development to treat cardiovascular disease.