On Friday, Cytokinetics , Inc. (NASDAQ:CYTK) retained its favorable outlook from Mizuho, with a reiterated Buy rating and a steady price target of $99.00. The biopharmaceutical company, which focuses on muscle biology and related therapies, showcased new data from its ongoing heart disease study during a prominent medical conference.
The data presented stems from a 48-week study involving 46 patients with obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (oHCM) participating in the FOREST-HCM trial, an open-label extension study of the drug aficamten. Key findings highlighted a significant reduction in left ventricular outflow tract gradient (LVOT-G) at rest and during the Valsalva maneuver, a common diagnostic test for heart conditions. Additionally, more than 80% of patients experienced at least one class improvement in New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional classification, which is a measure of the severity of heart failure.
Further positive outcomes included an average 63% decrease from baseline in NT-proBNP, a biomarker for heart stress, and improvements in cardiac structure and function. This includes a decrease in maximum wall thickness and left atrial volume index, as well as a reduction in the ratio of early mitral inflow velocity to mitral annular early diastolic velocity (E/e’), which are all indicators of better heart performance. Moreover, the study reported a 94% reduction in septal reduction therapy (SRT) eligibility, a treatment for oHCM, and a mean reduction in left ventricular ejection fraction (LV
