Interactive Tool Harnesses Real-World Data to Visualize Burden of Disease in HCM and Advance Equitable Access to Care
SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., March 20, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Cytokinetics, Incorporated (Nasdaq: CYTK) today announced the launch of EARTH-HCM (Epidemiology, Awareness, Real-world Treatment and Health Outcomes in HCM), an online, open access, interactive public health education tool developed by Cytokinetics in collaboration with leading academic institutions, that leverages real-world, de-identified claims data to visualize and analyze population differences in patient characteristics, treatments, clinical outcomes, healthcare resource utilization and costs in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) in the U.S.
EARTH-HCM is an innovative, user-friendly, interactive tool designed to bridge the gap in awareness and education about HCM by providing insights into the treatment landscape and disparities in care. The tool was engineered to serve an array of stakeholders, including patients and caregivers, clinicians, pharmacists, researchers, policy decision-makers, payors and patient advocacy groups. EARTH-HCM was developed with experts in HCM including cardiologists, clinical pharmacy specialists and data scientists from leading academic institutions including Oregon Health & Science University; Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania; Yale School of Medicine; Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School; and Georgia Institute of Technology.
“Until now, limited evidence has been available on the geographical distribution of HCM and its impact on patient outcomes. EARTH-HCM aims to advance research, uncover knowledge gaps, and investigate disparities in care, ultimately promoting more equitable access, not just for our company, but for the entire HCM community,” said Sanatan Shreay, Ph.D., Cytokinetics’ Executive Director, Head of Health Economics and Outcomes Research. “We are proud to have led the development of this innovative tool to further HCM education, raise awareness, enhance treatment strategies and empower patients to feel more connected to their local communities.”
EARTH-HCM uses data from Symphony Health’s Integrated Dataverse (IDV) prescription claims database including real-world, deidentified claims from over 65,000 pharmacies, 1,500 hospitals, 800 outpatient facilities and 80,000 physician practices across the U.S., currently representing a majority of patients with HCM diagnosed between 2016 and 2023. EARTH-HCM will be updated regularly with publicly available data and expanded to include data from global geographies.
“Alongside advancements in the treatment landscape for HCM, diagnosis rates around the U.S. are increasing. Currently, most patients with HCM receive treatment at centers of excellence, however, these institutions are not easily accessible to all patients,” said Ahmad Masri, M.D., MS, Director of the Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Center at Oregon Health & Science University and member of the EARTH-HCM Committee. “A tool like EARTH-HCM can help both patients and healthcare providers understand current geographical disparities in the treatment of HCM as can hopefully lead to improved recognition, care and outcomes.”
“EARTH-HCM is a first-of-its-kind tool in HCM offering a comprehensive view of HCM patients everywhere in the U.S.,” said Ralph Riello, PharmD, Yale School of Medicine, Clinical Pharmacy Specialist and member of the EARTH-HCM Committee. “With this unprecedented level of insight, we can identify where eligible patients are, engage providers and payors to address the burden of disease in HCM and ultimately work to improve patient outcomes and healthcare costs.”
EARTH-HCM can be accessed online at www.earth-hcm.com.
About Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy
Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is a disease in which the heart muscle (myocardium) becomes abnormally thick (hypertrophied). The thickening of cardiac muscle leads to the inside of the left ventricle becoming smaller and stiffer, and thus the ventricle becomes less able to relax and fill with blood. This ultimately limits the heart’s pumping function, resulting in reduced exercise capacity and symptoms including chest pain, dizziness, shortness of breath, or fainting during physical activity. HCM is the most common monogenic inherited cardiovascular disorder, with approximately 280,000 patients diagnosed, however, there are an estimated 400,000-800,000 additional patients who remain undiagnosed in the U.S.1,2,3 Two-thirds of patients with HCM have obstructive HCM (oHCM), where the thickening of the cardiac muscle leads to left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT) obstruction, while one-third have non-obstructive HCM (nHCM), where blood flow isn’t impacted, but the heart muscle is still thickened. People with HCM are at high risk of also developing cardiovascular complications including atrial fibrillation, stroke and mitral valve disease.4 People with HCM are at risk for potentially fatal ventricular arrhythmias and it is one of the leading causes of sudden cardiac death in younger people or athletes.5 A subset of patients with HCM are at high risk of progressive disease leading to dilated cardiomyopathy and heart failure necessitating cardiac transplantation.
About Cytokinetics
Cytokinetics is a leading muscle biology specialty biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering, developing and commercializing muscle biology-directed drug candidates as potential treatments for debilitating diseases in which muscle performance is compromised. As a pioneer in muscle and the mechanics of muscle performance, Cytokinetics is intent on meaningfully improving the lives of patients through global access to innovative medicines. Cytokinetics is readying for potential regulatory approvals and commercialization of aficamten, a potential next-in-class cardiac myosin inhibitor following positive results from SEQUOIA-HCM, the pivotal Phase 3 clinical trial in patients with obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). Aficamten is also being evaluated in additional clinical trials enrolling patients with obstructive and non-obstructive HCM. Cytokinetics is also developing omecamtiv mecarbil, a cardiac myosin activator, in patients with heart failure with severely reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF), CK-586, a cardiac myosin inhibitor with a mechanism of action distinct from aficamten, for the potential treatment of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) and CK-089, a fast skeletal muscle troponin activator with potential therapeutic application to a specific type of muscular dystrophy and other conditions of impaired skeletal muscle function.
For additional information about Cytokinetics, visit www.cytokinetics.com and follow us on X, LinkedIn, Facebook and YouTube.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements for purposes of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (the “Act”). Cytokinetics disclaims any intent or obligation to update these forward-looking statements and claims the protection of the Act’s Safe Harbor for forward-looking statements. Examples of such statements include, but are not limited to, statements express or implied relating to the properties or potential benefits of aficamten or any of our other drug candidates, our ability to obtain regulatory approval for aficamten for the treatment of obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy or any other indication from FDA or any other regulatory body in the United States or abroad, and the labeling or post-marketing conditions that FDA or another regulatory body may require in connection with the approval of aficamten. Such statements are based on management’s current expectations, but actual results may differ materially due to various risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to the risks related to Cytokinetics’ business outlines in Cytokinetics’ filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, and Cytokinetics’ actual results of operations, financial condition and liquidity, and the development of the industry in which it operates, may differ materially from the forward-looking statements contained in this press release. Any forward-looking statements that Cytokinetics makes in this press release speak only as of the date of this press release. Cytokinetics assumes no obligation to update its forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, after the date of this press release.
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Contact:
Cytokinetics
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Senior Vice President, Corporate Affairs
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References:
- CVrg: Heart Failure 2020-2029, p 44; Maron et al. 2013 DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(12)60397-3; Maron et al 2018 10.1056/NEJMra1710575
- Symphony Health 2016-2021 Patient Claims Data DoF;
- Maron MS, Hellawell JL, Lucove JC, Farzaneh-Far R, Olivotto I. Occurrence of Clinically Diagnosed Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy in the United States. Am J Cardiol. 2016; 15;117(10):1651-1654.
- Gersh, B.J., Maron, B.J., Bonow, R.O., Dearani, J.A., Fifer, M.A., Link, M.S., et al. 2011 ACCF/AHA guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. A report of the American College of Cardiology Foundation/American Heart Association Task Force on practice guidelines. Journal of the American College of Cardiology and Circulation, 58, e212-260.
- Hong Y, Su WW, Li X. Risk factors of sudden cardiac death in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Current Opinion in Cardiology. 2022 Jan 1;37(1):15-21
