Wall Street immediately set to weighing the long-term import of Cytokinetics Inc.’s regulatory delay with aficamten, but the short-term impact was evident, as shares (NASDAQ:CYTK) dipped to close May 2 at $37.35, a loss of $5.57 or 13%.
Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) is a disease in which the left ventricle (LV) of the heart shows impaired relaxation during cardiac diastole, often accompanied by structural and functional abnormalities.
Positive data from two studies boosted Edgewise Therapeutics Inc.’s market share and elevated analyst enthusiasm for the company and its treatment of obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Top-line data from the phase I and phase II studies of EDG-7500 in treating the genetic disease that results in thickened heart muscles showed the therapy was well-tolerated in healthy volunteers and produced meaningful improvements in those with the disease.
Cytokinetics Inc. CEO Robert Blum said his firm chalked “a watershed moment” during last weekend’s congress of European Society of Cardiology (ESC) in London, where further mid- and late-stage data were disclosed with the heart drug aficamten, a myosin inhibitor. South San Francisco-based Cytokinetics rolled out six presentations, including two late breakers, with four concurrent publications in medical journals.
Cytokinetics Inc. has disclosed nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase (NAmPRTase; Nampt) activators reported to be useful for the treatment of cancer, neurodegeneration, mitochondrial and metabolic diseases, cardiovascular, muscle, renal and inflammatory disorders, among others.
Cytokinetics Inc. has disclosed fast skeletal muscle myosin inhibitors reported to be useful for the treatment of Becker muscular dystrophy, Duchenne muscular dystrophy, facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy, spinal cord injury, limb girdle muscular dystrophy, stroke, tendinitis and tremor, among others.
With one approved myosin inhibitor on the market and another coming up fast, researchers such as those at Tenaya Therapeutics Inc. are casting for new strategies to treat hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM).
Cytokinetics Inc. received a slightly last minute Christmas gift in the form of positive top-line data from the pivotal phase III study of aficamten in treating symptomatic obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.
Cytokinetics Inc. has identified bicyclic piperazinones with the ability to modulate skeletal muscle contractility reported to be useful for the treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, spinal muscular atrophy, myasthenia gravis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, stress urinary incontinence, sarcopenia, obesity and peripheral vascular disease, among others.
The U.S. FDA issued Cytokinetics Inc. a complete response letter (CRL) for omecamtiv mecarbil, branding the clinical evidence behind it as not “persuasive” enough to establish its effectiveness for reducing the risk of heart failure events and cardiovascular death. The company is developing the drug as an add-on therapy for patients with worsening heart failure who remain at high risk for heart failure events and hospitalization.
