HFSA 25 - Aficamten found to significantly improve NYHA and KCCQ-CSS scores in new 96-week data from FOREST-HCM.

Dr Ahmad Masri (Oregon Health & Science University, US) joins us to discuss findings from the FOREST-HCM trial, examining the sustained safety and efficacy of aficamten in patients with symptomatic nonobstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

This phase 2 open-label study followed 34 patients with nonobstructive HCM who received aficamten starting at 5 mg daily, with titration up to 20 mg based on serial left ventricular ejection fraction monitoring. By week 6, over 80% of participants had reached therapeutic doses of 15-20 mg, which remained stable throughout the two-year follow-up period. The trial evaluated functional capacity, symptom burden, cardiac biomarkers, and safety outcomes, with particular attention to LVEF changes and reversibility of any decrements.

Results revealed durability of clinical benefit, with nearly four in five patients improving by at least one NYHA functional class and three-quarters of responders achieving asymptomatic status by week 96, alongside sustained reductions in cardiac stress biomarkers.

Interview Questions:

1. What are the unmet needs in nonobstructive HCM, and what can make this patient population challenging to treat?
2. What was the study design and patient population?
3. What were your key findings?
4. What are the safety considerations from this long-term follow-up data?
5. What are the clinical implications of these findings for managing patients with nonobstructive HCM in routine practice?
6. What are your key take-home messages for clinicians, and what are the next steps for this research?

Recorded remotely from Portland, 2025.

Editor: Jordan Rance
Video Specialist: Oliver Miles
Support: This is an independent interview produced by Radcliffe Cardiology.