The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved mavacamten as a treatment for adults with New York Heart Association (NYHA) Class II-III obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), according to the drug’s manufacturer, Bristol Myers Squibb. In a news release, the manufacturer said the approval was based on data from the EXPLORER-HCM trial. The EXPLORER-HCM trial demonstrated that mavacamten (brand name: Camzyos) improved exercise capacity, left ventricular outflow tract obstruction, NYHA functional class, and health status in patients with obstructive HCM. “This is a first-in-class medicine specifically for patients living with symptomatic obstructive HCM,” said Milind Desai, MD, MBA, the director of the Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Center and director of clinical operations in Cleveland Clinic’s Heart Vascular & Thoracic Institute, in the Bristol Myers Squibb news release. “With this FDA approval, U.S. cardiologists now have a new pharmacological option for eligible patients that targets the underlying pathophysiology of the disease.” Photo Credit: Business Wire