Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
How a single dose of Aficamten affects heart function in cats
By Sharpe, Ashley N et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary pharmacology and therapeutics·2023·Department of Medicine and Epidemiology, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Pharmacokinetics of a single dose of Aficamten (CK-274) on cardiac contractility in a A31P MYBPC3 hypertrophic cardiomyopathy cat model.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of specially bred cats with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), a common heart disease in cats, were given a new medication called aficamten to see how it affected their heart function. The cats were monitored after taking the medication, and results showed that it changed how their hearts pumped, specifically by increasing the size of the heart's pumping chamber and affecting the heart's relaxation time. While the treatment did not cause any serious side effects, the researchers suggested that a lower dose might be more effective. Further studies are needed to find the best dose for treating HCM in cats.
People also search for: cat heart disease treatment · hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in cats · aficamten for cats · cat heart medication side effects
Abstract
Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is the most prevalent cardiac disease in cats and lacks efficacious preclinical pharmacologic intervention, prompting investigation of novel therapies. Genetic mutations encoding sarcomeric proteins are implicated in the development of HCM and small molecule myosin inhibitors are an emerging class of therapeutics designed to target the interaction of actin and myosin to alleviate the detrimental effects of inappropriate contractile protein interactions. The purpose of this study was to characterize the pharmacodynamic effects of a single oral dose of the novel cardiac myosin inhibitor aficamten (CK-274) on cardiac function in purpose bred cats with naturally occurring A31P MYBPC3 mutation and a clinical diagnosis of HCM with left ventricular outflow tract obstruction (LVOTO). Five purpose bred cats were treated with aficamten (2 mg/kg) or vehicle and echocardiographic evaluations were performed at 0, 6, 24, and 48 h post-dosing. High dose aficamten (2 mg/kg) reduced left ventricular fractional shortening (LVFS%) by increasing the LV systolic internal dimension (LVIDs) and reduced isovolumic relaxation time (IVRT) compared with baseline without significant adverse effects. The marked reduction in systolic function and reduced IVRT coupled with an increased heart rate in treated cats, suggest a lower dose may be optimal. Further studies to determine optimal dosing of aficamten are indicated.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36382714/