Tag: hocm

Cytokinetics Teases Upcoming Phase 3 Aficamten Trial in nHCM

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A Phase 3 clinical trial aimed at the non-obstructed HCM population (nHCM) appears to be planned for Cytokinetics’ next-generation myosin inhibitor, aficamten.

Based on positive data from Cohort 4 of the Phase 2 REDWOOD-HCM trial, Cytokinetics is planning to soon launch a Phase 3 clinical trial for non-obstructed hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.  Non-obstructed HCM patients are a group whose only current treatment options are diuretics, beta-blockers, and other drugs used in the traditional heart failure setting.  In extreme cases, heart transplantation may be the only path available to these patients.

According to data presented on Sunday at the American College of Cardiology 72nd Annual Scientific Sessions (held in my beloved hometown of New Orleans, the city with the best and least heart-healthy food in the world), 41 patients with nHCM in the cohort showed improvement to both their NT-proBNP and troponin levels (both are biomarkers of heart wall stress seen in blood tests). And, the drug was generally well tolerated.

Separately, data was presented showing that obstructed HCM (HOCM) patients who took aficamten for a 48 week period showed significant improvement to their left ventricular outflow tract gradients (LVOT) while 88% of patients experienced improvement of at least one NYHA Functional Class.

All 19 HOCM patients enrolled in the trial who fit the eligibility criteria for septal reduction therapy (septal myectomy or septal alcohol ablation) at the start of the trial improved so much that they were no longer eligible after 48 weeks on aficamten.

It would be wonderful to have better options for the treatment HCM, so here’s hoping that aficamten continues down the road to FDA approval.

For more about aficamten, read these prior posts from HCMBeat:

2 Companies Testing Drugs for HCM

HCM Clinical Trials – the Latest News

The Future of HCM Care

Positive Signs from REDWOOD-HCM

Promising Data about Aficamten Presented at Meetings

More on Aficamten & Mavacamten from ACC 2022

Aficamten Updates from Cytokinetics

Aficamten Gets “Breakthrough Drug” Status from FDA

Cytokinetic’s Drug Aficamten & Upcoming HCM Summit – Interview with Dr. Martin Maron

Results Published from REDWOOD-HCM Phase 2 Trial

The Future of HCM Treatment

Results Published from REDWOOD-HCM Phase 2 Trial

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Results from Cytokinetics’ REDWOOD-HCM Phase 2 clinical trial of the experimental drug aficamten were just published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. 

Aficamten, a second generation myosin inhibitor, was administered to a small group of 28 patients as part of a phase 2 trial to determine safety of the drug of the drug in obstructive HCM over a 10 week period. 

No safety issues were found, while most trial participants experienced substantial reductions in left ventricular outflow tract gradients. Study participants also reported improvement to their symptoms, while blood tests showed improvement to certain biomarkers of heart stress.   

You can read more about the drug aficamten and Cytokinetics, the company behind it, in the below posts on HCMBeat. Next for aficamten is the Phase 3 trial entitled SEQUOIA-HCM.

Promising Data about Aficamten Presented at Meetings

2 Companies Testing Drugs for HCM

HCM Clinical Trials – the Latest News

The Future of HCM Care

Positive Signs from REDWOOD-HCM

Cytokinetic’s Drug Aficamten & Upcoming HCM Summit – Interview with Dr. Martin Maron

Aficamten Gets “Breakthrough Drug” Status from FDA

More on Aficamten & Mavacamten from ACC 2022

Cytokinetics Announces its Phase 2 Clinical Trial – “Redwood-HCM”

Cytokinetics Moves Forward with HCM Drug Trial

Cytokinetics Announces Positive Results from REDWOOD-HCM Phase 2 Clinical Trial

Myectomy: Still the Gold Standard for HOCM

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An expert panel comprised of many of the world’s top HCM experts recently published a retrospective analysis in The American Journal of Cardiology which looked at septal myectomy over the last 60 years of practice.

 Beginning with the introduction of the procedure at the National Institute of Health in the early 1960s, this paper surveys the history of the procedure until the present day.  The conclusion of the paper is that myectomy remains the best treatment for patients with obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

Continue reading “Myectomy: Still the Gold Standard for HOCM” →

Aficamten Updates from Cytokinetics

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At two recent meetings, South San Francisco biotech company Cytokinetics presented encouraging data on its experimental drug for hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, aficamten (formerly known as CYK-274). 

Continue reading “Aficamten Updates from Cytokinetics” →

Aficamten Gets “Breakthrough Drug” Status from FDA

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Cytokinetics has announced that its experimental drug aficamten, currently in trials as a potential treatment for obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, has received breakthrough therapy designation from the FDA.  This designation is awarded by the FDA to certain drugs which may offer substantial improvement to patients over available therapies. The designation could shorten the FDA approval process for the drug by about 4 months.

You can read more about Cytokinetics and aficamten in these older posts from HCMBeat: 

Interview with Dr. Martin Maron about Cytokinetic’s Drug Aficamten 

Cytokinetics Announces Positive Results from REDWOOD-HCM Phase 2 Clinical Trial

Cytokinetics Moves Forward with HCM Drug Trial

Cytokinetics Announces its Phase 2 Clinical Trial

Positive Signs from REDWOOD-HCM

The Future of HCM Care

HCM Clinical Trials – the Latest News

2 Companies Testing Drugs for HCM

Scientists Get $10 Million Grant to Develop HCM Treatments

 

 

Cytokinetic’s Drug Aficamten & Upcoming HCM Summit – Interview with Dr. Martin Maron

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Editor’s note:  You have probably noticed a distinct uptick in clinical trials of potential treatments for hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.  HCMBeat has been following this trend and has previously published a host of stories about such trials, including this story about the positive results from the REDWOOD-HCM Phase 2 clinical trial, as well as past stories discussing the biopharmaceutical company Cytokinetics, its  drug aficamten (previously known as CK-274), and the REDWOOD-HCM trial.

Some of these earlier stories are as follows: 

2 Companies Testing Drugs for HCM

HCM Clinical Trials – the Latest News

Positive Signs from REDWOOD-HCM

Cytokinetics Moves Forward with HCM Drug Trial

Recently, Cynthia Waldman of HCMBeat had the opportunity to speak over Zoom with Dr. Martin Maron, who recently served as the principal investigator of Cytokinetics’ REDWOOD trial.  The conversation focused both on Cytokinetic’s drug aficamten (previously known as CK-274), and the new class of drugs known as “myosin inhibitors.”  What follows is a transcript of their conversation (which has been edited for readability). 

Continue reading “Cytokinetic’s Drug Aficamten & Upcoming HCM Summit – Interview with Dr. Martin Maron” →

Experts Put Mavacamten in Perspective

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An article published today in Circulation by HCM experts Dr. Steve Ommen of Mayo Clinic and Dr. Martin Maron of Tufts Medical Center, discusses the prospective use of mavacamten as a treatment for obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. The doctors conclude that while mavacamten (assuming that it is FDA approved in early 2022) will have its place in the HCM tool kit, it should not replace septal reduction therapy for severe HOCM.

In particular, the article points out that the EXPLORER-HCM study showed modest improvements in symptoms and functional capacity (peak V02), comparable to those seen in the RESET-HCM study, which highlighted the ability of regular exercise to improve functional status in HCM.  

The article notes that there has not yet been a study directly comparing mavacamten with septal reduction therapies such as septal myectomy and alcohol septal reduction. The VALOR-HCM study, which is currently recruiting, will look at these therapies compared head-to-head.  It is noteworthy that the majority of patients in the EXPLORER trial had Class II heart failure and were not the more severely compromised Class III and IV patients most likely to benefit from myectomy or alcohol septal ablation.

This article compared historical myectomy data against the findings from EXPLORER, concluding that septal myectomy produces a better result for patients, with gradients abolished in more than 95% of patients compared to only 50% of patients with mavacamten.  And, the article points out that 25% of the patients in the EXPLORER trial continued to have left ventricular outflow tract gradients greater than or equal to 50mmHg, which still qualified them for septal reduction therapy.

Maron and Ommen’s take-home message is that mavacamten will be a welcome addition to the arsenal of HCM drugs and is potentially suitable for patients who do not have severe symptoms, who do not have access to septal reduction at a HCM specialty center, or who wish to avoid more invasive therapies.  It also may be used in the same way as disopyramide, to defer surgery by improving symptoms to a tolerable level.

Lastly, this article points out that there is a need for longer term follow up to study the effects of cardiac remodeling caused by mavacamten.

While it is wonderful to have options, it is important that patients and their medical team consider all available information, including potential benefit and risk, before moving forward with medical therapy. 

Mavacamten Approaches Finish Line

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The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is expected to complete its review of mavacamten and release its decision on whether to approve the drug for sale in the U.S. by January 28, 2022.

This week, Bristol Myers Squibb submitted its New Drug Application for mavacamten to the FDA. Mavacamten is the first drug specifically designed to treat obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. The application was based on the recent positive results of the Phase 3  EXPLORER-HCM trial. 

In October of last year, Bristol Myers Squibb paid $13.1 billion to purchase MyoKardia, the San Francisco based biotech company which developed mavacamten as a novel cardiac myosin modulator for the treatment of of HCM.

The FDA has assigned a Prescription Drug User Fee Act goal date of January 28, 2022 to the drug, which means that the FDA is expected to complete its review of mavacamten by January 28, 2022.

 

 

 

 

 

 

DISCLOSURES:  CYNTHIA BURSTEIN WALDMAN OF HCMBEAT SERVED AS A PATIENT ADVISOR ON THE STEERING COMMITTEE OF MYOKARDIA’S EXPLORER TRIAL AND IS AN AUTHOR OF THE STUDY AS PUBLISHED IN THE LANCET.  CYNTHIA ALSO SERVES ON MYOKARDIA’S PATIENT ADVISORY BOARD.

 

Could Septal Reduction Outcomes Vary by Gender?

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A retrospective analysis recently published in JACC: Cardiovascular Interventions suggests that that the risks of septal reduction therapy may differ for men and women.

In particular, the study found that the need for a pacemaker following septal alcohol ablation was almost 3 times more likely for a female than for a male.

The authors suggested that the reason for this difference may have been more advanced disease among female patients, and a higher instance of myocardial fibrosis and calcification.  

Whatever the reason, this is another factor for patients to consider before deciding which method of septal reduction is best for them.

Myectomy Sooner?

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An article by doctors at the Cleveland Clinic recently published in the Journal of the American Heart Association advocates for earlier surgical intervention for patients with obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM).   

According to this article, obstructed HCM patients who undergo myectomy earlier have better long term survival. Therefore, these doctors take the position that patients should not wait until they become severely symptomatic and/or have run out of medical options to undergo myectomy surgery. 

Meanwhile, an accompanying editorial by Dr. Mark Sherrid of NYU Langone Health is to the contrary.  Dr. Sherrid argues that medications like disopyramide (Norpace) are effective in reducing symptoms and that the inherent risks from open heart surgery are not outweighed by a theoretical improvement in longevity.

Regardless of the timing of surgery, Dr. Sherrid points out that with multiple companies now developing novel treatments for HCM, visibility of the disease will increase which will ultimately result in better patient outcomes for all with HCM.