Camzyos approved to treat hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy

Camzyos has just been approved for “treatment of symptomatic obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (oHCM) of New York Heart Association (NYHA) Class II-III in adult patients.” It is the "first Canadian-approved allosteric and selective cardiac myosin inhibitor that targets the underlying pathophysiology of oHCM," according to a release from Bristol-Myers Squibb Canada. “Until now, the standard of care for patients has been to control the symptoms of obstructive HCM using drugs that were not designed for HCM. Patients often require invasive therapies,” said Dr. Rafik Tadros, cardiologist at the Montreal Heart Institute. Presented in the form of mavacamten capsules, “Camzyos has now brought an option that is specifically developed to treat the underlying pathophysiological mechanism of HCM and represents an important advance to improve functional capacity and quality of life in many patients,” he said. Read: One-stop shop: New Canadian cardiovascular disease guideline pulls together dozens of recommendations A chronic disease associated with thickening of the walls of the heart, which forces it to pump more blood, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is the most common heart condition. It's characterized by an increased heart wall thickness of 1.5 cm or more. Often hereditary, it affects about one in 500 people, both men and women, regardless of ethnic origin, and is generally diagnosed in middle and late life. Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is said to be "obstructive" when the left ventricular outflow chamber (LVCC) is blocked or when it reduces blood flow due to the thickness or stiffness of the walls of the heart. Atrial fibrillation, strokes, heart failure and, in rare cases, sudden death can follow. Health Canada's approval is based on results from the Phase III Explorer-HCM trial, a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, parallel-group trial involving 251 adult patients with symptoms of CMH. Nearly 37% of those treated with Camzyos achieved the primary endpoint, a composite of functional ability and symptoms, compared to 17% of patients in the placebo group. Read: Low-dose statins better at lowering bad cholesterol than supplements All treated patients experienced greater improvement in secondary endpoints at week 30, compared to the placebo group. At that time, 8.1% of mavacamten-treated patients experienced serious adverse events compared to 8.6% of placebo-treated patients, while "their overall safety profile and tolerability were similar." As Camzyos reduces left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), it can cause heart failure due to systolic dysfunction. Assessments of LVEF and left ventricular outflow chamber gradient by echocardiogram are necessary before prescribing, and on a regular basis during treatment. In patients with an LVEF less than 55%, Camzyos is not recommended and treatment should be discontinued if the patient has an LVEF less than 50% at a visit or has symptoms of heart failure or deterioration of his clinical condition. Combined with certain cytochrome P450 inhibitors or inducers, Camzyos may additionally increase the risk of heart failure due to systolic dysfunction or lead to loss of response to treatment. This article has been translated from its original French and originally appeared on our sister site Profession Santé. Read: Aspirin may benefit people with elevated lipoprotein-a (Lp(a))

Camzyos approved to treat hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy

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