Amgen and Cytokinetics to Advance Omecamtiv Mecarbil to Phase 3 Clinical Development
The decision to proceed to Phase 3 development follows the review of results from prior clinical trials, including COSMIC-HF (Chronic Oral Study of Myosin Activation to Increase Contractility in Heart Failure), a Phase 2 clinical trial evaluating omecamtiv mecarbil in patients with chronic heart failure. Data from COSMIC-HF were first presented in a Late-Breaking Clinical Trial session at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions 2015. COSMIC-HF met its primary pharmacokinetic objective and demonstrated statistically significant improvements in all pre-specified secondary measures of cardiac function in the treatment group employing pharmacokinetic-based dose titration. In addition, Amgen and Cytokinetics have convened meetings with regulatory authorities to inform plans for omecamtiv mecarbil in a Phase 3 clinical trials program.
"Progression of omecamtiv mecarbil to Phase 3 is a major milestone for our company as well as our collaboration with Amgen and reflects our collective commitment to the heart failure community,” said Robert I. Blum, Cytokinetics’ President and Chief Executive Officer. “We are pleased that the comprehensive clinical trials program that we have jointly conducted for omecamtiv mecarbil has contributed data that provide a compelling rationale to advance the development of our cardiac myosin activator to an international outcomes trial for the potential treatment of patients with chronic heart failure.”
The Phase 3 outcomes trial will be conducted by Amgen in collaboration with Cytokinetics. As part of the Phase 3 clinical trials program, Cytokinetics and Amgen are also planning a potential exercise performance/cardiac function clinical trial to be conducted by Cytokinetics. Cytokinetics is eligible to receive pre-commercialization and commercialization milestone payments on omecamtiv mecarbil and royalties that escalate based on increasing levels of annual net sales. Cytokinetics has the opportunity to earn increased royalties by sharing certain Phase 3 development costs. In that case, Cytokinetics could co-promote omecamtiv mecarbil in North America and would have an agreed role in commercialization activities.
About Heart Failure
Heart failure is a grievous condition that affects more than 23 million people worldwide, about half of whom have reduced left ventricular function. It is the leading cause of hospitalization and readmission in people age 65 and older. Despite broad use of standard treatments and advances in care, the prognosis for patients with heart failure is poor. An estimated one in five people over the age of 40 are at risk of developing heart failure, and approximately 50 percent of people diagnosed with heart failure will die within five years of initial hospitalization.
About Omecamtiv Mecarbil
Omecamtiv mecarbil is a novel cardiac myosin activator. Cardiac myosin is the cytoskeletal motor protein in the cardiac muscle cell that is directly responsible for converting chemical energy into the mechanical force resulting in cardiac contraction. Cardiac myosin activators are thought to accelerate the rate-limiting step of the myosin enzymatic cycle and shift the enzymatic cycle in favor of the force-producing state. Preclinical research has shown that cardiac myosin activators increase contractility in the absence of changes in intracellular calcium in cardiac myocytes.
Omecamtiv mecarbil is being developed by Amgen in collaboration with Cytokinetics. Amgen holds an exclusive, worldwide license to omecamtiv mecarbil and related compounds, subject to Cytokinetics’ specified development and commercialization rights.
About Cytokinetics
Cytokinetics is a late-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering, developing and commercializing first-in-class muscle activators as potential treatments for debilitating diseases in which muscle performance is compromised and/or declining. As a leader in muscle biology and the mechanics of muscle performance, the company is developing small molecule drug candidates specifically engineered to increase muscle function and contractility. Cytokinetics’ lead drug candidate is tirasemtiv, a fast skeletal muscle troponin activator, for the potential treatment of ALS. Tirasemtiv has been granted orphan drug designation and fast track status by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and orphan medicinal product designation by the European Medicines Agency for the potential treatment of ALS. Cytokinetics retains the right to develop and commercialize tirasemtiv, subject to an option held by Astellas Pharma Inc.Cytokinetics is also collaborating with Astellas to develop CK-2127107, a fast skeletal muscle activator, for the potential treatment of spinal muscular atrophy, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and ALS. Cytokinetics is collaborating with Amgen Inc. to develop omecamtiv mecarbil, a novel cardiac muscle activator, for the potential treatment of heart failure. Amgen holds an exclusive license worldwide to develop and commercialize omecamtiv mecarbil and Astellas holds an exclusive license worldwide to develop and commercialize CK-2127107. Both licenses are subject to Cytokinetics' specified development and commercialization participation rights.
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