SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., Dec. 13, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Cytokinetics, Incorporated (Nasdaq: CYTK) today announced that the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) Cardiovascular and Renal Drugs Advisory Committee (CRDAC) voted 8 to 3 that the benefits of omecamtiv mecarbil do not outweigh its risks for the treatment of heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF).

“We are disappointed there was not a greater consensus amongst Committee members relating to the benefit-risk of omecamtiv mecarbil, and we maintain our conviction in the strength of evidence supporting its potential benefit for patients suffering from HFrEF,” said Robert I. Blum, Cytokinetics’ President and Chief Executive Officer. “We continue to believe omecamtiv mecarbil can be a valuable add-on therapy for patients with worsening heart failure who remain at high risk for heart failure events and hospitalization despite treatment with available guideline-directed medical therapy. We plan to engage constructively with FDA as it completes its review of the application for omecamtiv mecarbil.”

Omecamtiv mecarbil is an investigational, selective, small molecule cardiac myosin activator. If approved by the FDA, omecamtiv mecarbil will become the first therapy indicated for HFrEF that directly targets the mechanisms of the heart responsible for contraction – or its pumping function.