OREANDA-NEWS. Cytokinetics, Inc. (Nasdaq:CYTK) today outlined Vision 2020: Empowering Our Future, a strategic initiative designed to deepen and expand its pipeline over the next five years as well as advance a portfolio of muscle-biology directed drug candidates toward late-stage development and commercialization to address urgent unmet needs of people living with conditions characterized by impaired muscle function.  

The key components of Vision 2020: Empowering Our Future are:

  • Progress proprietary research programs focused on muscle contractility, growth and energetics into development under new collaborations;
  • Advance next-generation skeletal and cardiac muscle activator compounds into clinical development by leveraging existing research collaborations;
  • Conduct late-stage clinical development of novel, first-in-class muscle activators for the potential treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), heart failure and other diseases impacting muscle function;
  • Collaborate with patient communities to support the urgent development of new medicines for diseases of impaired muscle function with pressing unmet medical needs; and
  • Mature company operations to enable development, registration and commercialization of muscle biology drug candidates across North America and Europe.

             
Over the next five years, Cytokinetics envisions expanding its portfolio of novel muscle activators by leveraging proprietary and partnered programs, as the company transitions into a mature, commercial-ready organization with multiple, first-in-class compounds for the potential treatment of people living with diseases of impaired muscle function who have few if any treatment options. 

This year, the company expects a decision regarding the potential advancement of omecamtiv mecarbil into Phase 3 clinical development in patients with heart failure, in collaboration with Amgen; to complete enrollment of VITALITY-ALS, its ongoing Phase 3 clinical trial of tirasemtiv in people with ALS; and to complete enrollment in the recently initiated Phase 2 clinical trial of CK-2127107 in people with SMA, in collaboration with Astellas.

“We are entering a transformative phase for the company and our shareholders and Vision 2020 provides the road map to focus our team on our near- and long-term opportunities,” said Robert I. Blum, Cytokinetics’ President and Chief Executive Officer.  “We believe our proprietary insights into the mechanics of muscle contractility and performance can translate over the next five years into advanced medicines that may provide meaningful contributions to the treatment of some of the most devastating diseases impacting patients’ lives.  Our commitment to maintaining a diverse portfolio of drug candidates, while investing in a world-class research and discovery operation sets us apart and will afford us key advantages to achieve Vision 2020.”