** Shares of drug developer Protagonist Therapeutics PTGX.O rise 9% to $41 premarket

** PTGX and Takeda 4502.T says its drug to treat a type of blood cancer met the main goal of proportion of patients achieving a response in a late-stage study

** Co says 77% of patients who were treated with the drug, rusfertide, responded to it, compared with 33% that received placebo

** Drug was tested in patients with the rare blood cancer, polycythemia vera, who require regular withdrawal of blood (phlebotomy) to manage their condition

** Co says there was no evidence of an increased risk of cancer in rusfertide-treated patients compared to those on placebo

** PTGX rose 23.5% in the last 12 months

(Reporting by Siddhi Mahatole)

((siddhi.mahatole@thomsonreuters.com))