Author: hcmbeat

Positive Signs from REDWOOD-HCM

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Cytokinetics announced this week the progression of REDWOOD-HCM, its ongoing Phase 2 clinical trial of CK-274, a cardiac myosin inhibitor for the treatment of HCM.

According to the press release, preliminary results show substantial reductions in left ventricular outflow tract gradients (LVOT), with only modest decreases in left ventricular ejection fraction. (LVEF). 

Based on this early positive data, the study will continue and will enroll a second group of approximately 18 patients. 

Cytokinetics hopes to have results from REDWOOD-HCM in the middle of 2021, and hopes to begin a Phase 3 trial for CK-274 by the end of 2021.

For detailed information about this trial see ClinicalTrials.gov.

More Bad News for Women with HCM

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A recent retrospective study by researchers using data from the SHaRe Registry found that women with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy have an increased risk of death and/or severe heart failure symptoms when compared to their male counterparts.  This study also found that women tended to be older when diagnosed with HCM than men. 

This study echoes a 2017 study from Mayo Clinic with similar findings.

Editor’s Note:  It is clear that serious research into gender differences in HCM is needed. And, it is vitally important that women with HCM be persistent and diligent in obtaining expert care for their HCM. Their lives depend on it!

 

Boston Scientific Advisories for S-ICD Patients

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Patients with a Boston Scientific S-ICD should be aware of two recent product advisories.
 
 
There is an advisory for early battery depletion in the S-ICD generator, and there is a separate advisory pertaining to the 3501 lead.
 
 
Boston Scientific has a product lookup tool (www.BostonScientific.com/lookup) where you can look up your device and see if your specific generator and/or lead are affected.  You can find your serial numbers on your registration card.
 
 
The product advisories can be found here: https://www.bostonscientific.com/…/product-advisories.html
 

2020 AHA/ACC HCM Diagnosis & Treatment Guidelines Released – Updated With New Links

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The highly anticipated 2020 American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Patients with Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy have been released.

This document, drafted with reference to published HCM literature, and with input from a committee of HCM experts with broad expertise, updates the prior version published in 2011.  It contains clinical practice guidelines for the broad spectrum of issues which may confront medical professionals as they approach the diagnosis and treatment of patients and families affected by hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

Continue reading “2020 AHA/ACC HCM Diagnosis & Treatment Guidelines Released – Updated With New Links” →

MyoKardia Acquired by Bristol Myers Squibb – UPDATED

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This morning MyoKardia announced that it was being acquired by drug company Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS) for $13.1 billion. BMS plans to continue MyoKardia’s development of mavacamten as the first drug specifically intended to treat hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. The deal is expected to close before the end of 2020.

Last month, MyoKardia published positive results from its Stage 3 EXPLORER trial for obstructive HCM. Earlier this year, the FDA granted mavacamten breakthrough therapy designation which could shorten the FDA approval process by about 4 months. If all goes well, the drug could be available to HCM patients by the end of 2021.

The merger strengthens BMS’ cardiac offerings. Mavacamten will join Eliquis, a blood thinner that will go generic in 2026.

This is not MyoKardia’s first tie to Big Pharma. The French pharmaceutical company Sanofi invested $230 million into MyoKardia in 2014 but after their agreement expired in 2018, MyoKardia bought back the U.S. rights to its drugs for $80 million.

You can read a press release about the merger from MyoKardia here or a press release from BMS here. You can also read about it in the Wall Street Journal here.

DISCLOSURES:  HCMBEAT HAS RECEIVED UNRESTRICTED EDUCATIONAL GRANTS FROM MYOKARDIA.  ADDITIONALLY, CYNTHIA BURSTEIN WALDMAN OF HCMBEAT SERVED AS A PATIENT ADVISOR ON THE STEERING COMMITTEE OF MYOKARDIA’S EXPLORER TRIAL AND IS CREDITED AS AN AUTHOR OF THE STUDY AS PUBLISHED IN THE LANCET.  CYNTHIA ALSO SERVES ON MYOKARDIA’S PATIENT ADVISORY BOARD.

Atrial Fibrillation May Cause Negative Outcomes in HCM

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A recent study published in Clinical Research in Cardiology  found that atrial fibrillation is a frequent complication of HCM and can be an important predictor of negative outcomes.

These findings suggest that practitioners should aggressively screen for and treat atrial fibrillation in HCM patients to improve long term outcomes.

ESC Issues New Exercise Guidelines Including Guidance for HCM Patients

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The European Society of Cardiology recently published new guidelines for exercise for patients with HCM.

These guidelines offer more flexibility for HCM patients that past guidelines, stating that exercise may be permissible for HCM patients, but that it depends on individual situations. The focus should be on the shared decision process between patient and doctor to determine whether exercise may be appropriate for each individual patient.  Additionally, annual follow up for adults, with more frequent follow up for adolescents and young adults is also recommended.

Section 5.5.1 of the guidelines focuses on Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy. These guidelines state:

  • The risk of sudden cardiac death or arrest (SCD or SCA) during exercise is likely lower than previously thought and therefore, a total ban on exercise is not warranted.
  • Exercise for physical and psychological well-being should be encouraged, following a careful baseline assessment of patients with HCM which should include:
    • Personal and family history
    • Risk Factors for SCD/SCA
    • EKG at rest and during exercise
    • Echocardiogram/Degree of Obstruction
    • Degree of late gadolinium enhancement indicative of cardiac fibrosis as seen on cardiac MRI
    • Exercise testing and blood pressure response to exercise
    • ESC Score of HCM Risk

 

MyoKardia’s EXPLORER Trial Big Success

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The results of MyoKardia’s Stage 3 EXPLORER study for its experimental drug mavacamten were presented on Saturday at the European Society of Cardiology’s virtual annual meeting and contemporaneously published in The Lancet. 

The findings from the study showed that mavacamten improved exercise capacity, reduced left ventricular outflow tract gradient (responsible for the obstruction in HCM) and improved New York Heart Association functional class, correlating with a reduction in symptoms and an improvement in quality of life in patients with obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. 

This was the largest placebo controlled randomized trial ever conducted in HCM. Additionally, mavacamten is the first drug specifically developed for the treatment of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. All drugs previously used for HCM symptoms were developed to treat other conditions and were used “off label” to treat HCM.

According to Florence, Italy’s Dr. Iacopo Olivotto, who presented the results to ESC’s virtual audience, mavacamten was generally well tolerated and did not appear to have serious side effects.

MyoKardia said the Explorer-HCM data will form the basis of its submission to the FDA which is planned for the first quarter of 2021.  Last month, the company announced that the drug was awarded “Breakthrough Drug” designation by the FDA which it hopes will streamline the approval process.

Also, a new trial comparing mavacamten to septal myectomy and septal alcohol ablation entitled VALOR-HCM for patients with symptomatic, obstructive HCM and who are New York Heart Association Class III – IV who meet the criteria for septal reduction therapy and have been referred for such a procedure has just gotten underway with the first patient enrolled earlier this month.

DISCLOSURES:  HCMBEAT HAS RECEIVED UNRESTRICTED EDUCATIONAL GRANTS FROM MYOKARDIA.  ADDITIONALLY, CYNTHIA BURSTEIN WALDMAN OF HCMBEAT SERVED AS A PATIENT ADVISOR ON THE STEERING COMMITTEE OF MYOKARDIA’S EXPLORER TRIAL and is credited as an author of the study as published in the lancet.  cynthia also serves on myokardia’s patient advisory board.

Sudden Death Risk Factors Differ for Children with HCM

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According to a recent paper published in Circulation, children’s risk for sudden death should be evaluated using different risk factors than those used for adults.

Two main differences seen between factors influencing the risk of sudden death of children and adults were that:

  • for children, family history of sudden death was not a risk factor;
  • a left ventricular outflow tract gradient in a child suggested a lower risk of sudden death.

The authors of this study propose that the risk assessment factors highlighted in this study (and not the various risk assessment tools that have been developed for adults) should be used by clinicians to evaluate the need for implantable defibrillators in children.

 

 

MyoKardia Announces Positive Results from EXPLORER Trial

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MyoKardia today announced positive topline results for its experimental drug mavacamten from its recent Stage 3 EXPLORER trial for patients with obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy or HCM.

According to the press release, the drug met all primary and secondary endpoints, while relieving outflow tract obstruction, improving symptoms and enhancing quality of life for the patients enrolled in the trial.  Furthermore, the drug was well tolerated and appeared to be free of significant side effects.

MyoKardia plans to seek FDA approval for mavacamten, the first drug specifically targeting the underlying biological mechanism of HCM, in the first quarter of 2021.

Full results of the EXPLORER study will be presented at a scientific meeting later this year.

 

DISCLOSURES:  CYNTHIA BURSTEIN WALDMAN OF HCMBEAT SERVES AS PATIENT ADVISOR ON THE STEERING COMMITTEE OF MYOKARDIA’S EXPLORER TRIAL AND AS A MEMBER OF MYOKARDIA’S PATIENT ADVISORY BOARD.