A phase 3 clinical trial presented at the European Society of Cardiology Congress found that aficamten improved exercise capacity and wellbeing in patients with a thickened heart muscle condition more effectively than a dummy treatment over 36 weeks.
The ACACIA-HCM trial, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, tested aficamten against a placebo in people living with symptomatic nonobstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) — a condition where the heart muscle becomes abnormally thick, making it harder for the heart to pump blood and leaving patients short of breath or exhausted during activity. According to the journal, patients taking aficamten saw a much greater improvement in how far and how comfortably they could exercise compared with those on the placebo.
The trial also measured patient-reported health status — how people felt day to day — and found the same pattern. Those on aficamten reported meaningfully better outcomes than the placebo group at the 36-week mark. HCM affects roughly one in 500 people, though many go undiagnosed for years.
So what does this mean for patients in Kent? The drug is not yet approved for routine NHS use in the UK, and no guidance from NHS England or the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has yet been issued on aficamten. Anyone already managing HCM should speak to their cardiologist or GP before drawing conclusions from trial data.
If you have been told you have a heart condition and are concerned about your symptoms, contact your GP or call NHS 111. In an emergency, call 999.
Source: @NEJM