Cytokinetics Maps MYQORZO Expansion, Heart Failure Pipeline at Bernstein Conference

MYQORZO adoption is accelerating: Cytokinetics reported approximately 2,500 new patient starts in the first quarter and 3,000 in the second, while prescriptions increased to nearly 1,500. The company held slightly more than 40% of new prescriptions and is targeting 50% by year-end. The company plans to seek approval for MYQORZO in non-obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy based on ACACIA study data, potentially making it the only cardiac myosin inhibitor approved for both major HCM subtypes. Cytokinetics is advancing its heart-failure pipeline, with Phase III omecamtiv mecarbil results expected around 2028 and Phase II ulacamten results anticipated in 2027. Management said near-term business development will prioritize earlier-stage technologies rather than late-stage acquisitions. Cytokinetics NASDAQ: CYTK executives outlined the company’s commercial expansion plans, cardiovascular pipeline and business-development priorities during a Bernstein investor symposium, highlighting the launch of MYQORZO and clinical programs targeting several forms of heart failure. Isaac Ciechanover, executive vice president of corporate development and chief business officer, said the company was founded in 1997 and began operating in 1998 in South San Francisco. While its original focus included oncology and antifungal treatments, Cytokinetics later shifted toward cardiovascular disease following research into the sarcomere, the functional unit of muscle contraction. The company now describes itself as a commercial-stage developer of cardiovascular medicines, particularly cardiac myosin inhibitors, while continuing research in skeletal-muscle conditions. Ciechanover said Cytokinetics’ near-term goal is to become a leading specialty cardiology company. Ciechanover described the company’s “Vision 2030” strategy, which includes goals of having two approved therapies across three indications, maintaining 10 new molecular entities in development and operating in more than 15 countries by 2030. The company also aims for its medicines to reach at least 100,000 patients through clinical trials and commercialization. MYQORZO has launched in the U.S. for obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, or HCM, and has also launched in Germany, according to Ciechanover. He said the company has partners including Sanofi in China and Bayer in Japan, while Cytokinetics intends to commercialize directly in the U.S. and Europe where possible. “No one is going to focus on a company and on a product better than yourself,” Ciechanover said, explaining the company’s preference for direct commercialization in major markets. He added that partnerships remain appropriate in certain territories where establishing operations would not be practical. The company’s cardiovascular strategy centers on three advanced programs: MYQORZO for obstructive HCM; Omecamtiv mecarbil, a cardiac myosin activator in Phase III development for heart failure with reduced ejection fraction, or HFrEF; and Ulacamten, a cardiac myosin inhibitor in Phase II development for heart failure with preserved ejection fraction, or HFpEF. Ciechanover said Cytokinetics has seen growing adoption of MYQORZO despite entering the market as the second treatment in its class, four years after the first launch. He said the company reported approximately 2,500 new patient starts in the first quarter and 3,000 in the second quarter, compared with roughly 2,000 patients per ...