June 3 (Reuters) - Agios Pharmaceuticals said on Monday its experimental treatment for an inherited blood disorder met the main goal in a late-stage study.

The drug candidate, mitapivat, significantly reduced the need for blood transfusion in adult patients with transfusion-dependent alpha—or beta-thalassemia.

Thalassemia is an inherited blood disorder that affects the body's ability to produce hemoglobin and healthy red blood cells.

The company plans to submit a marketing application for mitapivat in alpha- or beta- thalassemia patients, regardless of transfusion needs, to the U.S. health regulator by the end of this year. (Reporting by Mariam Sunny in Bengaluru; Editing by Krishna Chandra Eluri and Ravi Prakash Kumar)