(Reuters) -Schrödinger said on Thursday it has stopped the development of an experimental drug after the death of two patients with a type of blood cancer in an early-stage trial, sending its shares down nearly 17% before the bell.

The company was testing the therapy, SGR-2921, in patients with high-risk myelodysplastic syndromes, a group of blood cancers in which the bone marrow doesn’t produce enough healthy blood cells, and its more serious form – acute myeloid leukemia.

The drug was considered to have contributed to the deaths of two AML patients in the trial, the company said.

“While disappointing given the early clinical activity observed, we believe this is the right decision for patients,” Chief Medical Officer Margaret Dugan said.

In pre-clinical trial, the therapy showed resp

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