Cytokinetics Starts Phase 2 Clinical Trial for Cardiomyopathy Treatment

Cytokinetics (NASDAQ:CYTK) is moving forward into a Phase 2 clinical trial for a next-generation treatment of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM).

The company said on Monday (January 6) that its drug CK-3773274 (CK-274), a cardiac myosin inhibitor, will be evaluated to optimize its dosing schedule to a refined therapeutic window associated with positive outcomes for patients dealing with the condition.

The study, titled REDWOOD-HCM, will be designed as a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind clinical trial in patients with symptomatic, obstructive HCM.

Since the start of the trading session on Monday, Cytokinetics has risen 2.9 percent and was sitting at US$11.15 as of 2:49 p.m. EST.

HCM is an inherited cardiovascular disorder that thickens the heart muscle, shrinking the left ventricle and obstructing blood flow to the heart. Patients have been found to suffer from chest pain, fainting and a higher risk of arrhythmias, stroke, heart failure and sudden cardiac death.

Myosins are a family of proteins that play a role in muscle contractions, among other motility processes, and myosin inhibitors can help induce muscle relaxation.

In a statement, Fady I. Malik, Cytokinetics’ executive vice president of research and development, said the second stage of the trial will quickly follow the release of its Phase 1 data.

Malik added that the first phase of testing found that the cardiac myosin inhibitor achieved the intended effects and reached steady state drug movement throughout the body within 14 days, allowing for a two week dosing regimen.

The California-based biopharmaceutical company said that during preclinical models of cardiac function, the drug was successful in reducing myocardial contractility in a dose- and exposure-dependent fashion.

Now, the newest trial will enroll two groups of 18 patients each, with the option for a third. The groups will randomly receive either a placebo or three escalating doses of CK-274 over the course of 10 weeks, and will get echocardiograms every two weeks during the testing period.

Currently, there aren’t any treatments that address the excessive thickening of the heart muscle that underlies HCM, according to the company.

In the statement, Marty Maron, director of the Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Center and the principal investigator of REDWOOD-HCM, highlighted the importance of the treatment for patients dealing with symptoms of HCM that decrease their quality of life.

Analyst consensus on TipRanks has Cytokinetics listed as a moderate buy with a target price of US$22.67, representing a 103.7 percent upside over its current share price.

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Securities Disclosure: I, Danielle Edwards, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.