India begins clinical trials for innovative heart drug Mavacamten

India is about to start important clinical trials for a new heart drug called Mavacamten. This drug targets symptomatic obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), a condition where the heart muscle becomes too thick. This thickening can make it hard for the heart to pump blood, leading to symptoms like breathlessness and chest pain. Mavacamten is different from traditional heart medications, which only help with symptoms. It aims to treat the root cause of the obstruction in HCM. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved the drug under the brand name Camzyos, and global trials have shown it can significantly improve heart function and quality of life. The clinical trials will take place at Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences in Kochi, along with a few other sites. They will include 50 patients in India who have obstructive HCM, a condition that affects about one in 500 people. Although common, it is often underdiagnosed and untreated in India. If successful, the trials could lead to Mavacamten becoming available in the country by late 2025. The goal of the trials is to check if Mavacamten lowers heart obstruction and improves patients' quality of life. Dr. Hisham Ahamed, the lead investigator, emphasized that this study will provide valuable information on how the drug affects Indian patients, whose disease patterns may differ from those seen in other countries. Dr. Aftab Khan mentioned that while Mavacamten has a potential risk of causing heart failure, careful monitoring can help manage this. The initial studies internationally primarily involved a white population, with very few participants of Asian descent. This Indian trial aims to gather data to find out how effective Mavacamten is for South Asian patients and could change treatment guidelines in the future.