Mavacamten, originally for hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, shows promise in reducing heart stress for HFpEF patients by lowering key cardiac biomarkers. The EMBARK-HFpEF trial highlights potential symptom improvements and a favorable safety profile.
A recent study published in JAMA Cardiology highlighted the potential of mavacamten, a drug initially developed for hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), in alleviating heart stress among patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). HFpEF, which affects nearly half of heart failure patients, is marked by the heart’s difficulty filling properly despite normal pumping capacity.
Standard treatments often show limited efficacy for patients with a left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) of 60% or more, who make up nearly half of HFpEF cases.
In the EMBARK-HFpEF trial, researchers explored mavacamten’s effects on 30 HFpEF patients, revealing promising outcomes after 26 weeks of treatment. The study found that mavacamten significantly reduced cardiac biomarkers associated with heart stress and injury. Specifically, N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide levels dropped by 26%, while high-sensitivity troponin T and I decreased by 13% and 20%, respectively.
Additionally, 41.7% of patients reported improved heart failure symptoms, measured by the New York Heart Association classification. Mavacamten demonstrated a generally favorable safety profile, with no severe adverse events.