Fayetteville, Ga. (September 3, 2025) – At Piedmont’s Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Center of Excellence, patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) have access to the full spectrum of treatment options including emerging therapies through clinical trials.
HCM is a genetic cardiac disease that causes the heart muscle to become abnormally thick, which impedes the heart’s ability to effectively fill and eject blood to meet the body’s physiologic demands. Many people with HCM don't experience significant health problems, but complications can include atrial fibrillation, valve issues, heart failure and in rare cases, sudden cardiac death. HCM is the most common cause of sudden death in young athletes.
Piedmont, an HCM Center of Excellence and one of only 50 in the United States, was a site for Cytokinetics’ MAPLE-HCM Phase 3 clinical trial. Full results are expected to be presented at the European Society of Cardiology 2025 Congress on Aug. 30, 2025 in Madrid, Spain.
“MAPLE-HCM is a very pivotal study that may reshape the landscape of how we manage patients with HCM,” said Andrew Darlington, D.O., principal investigator for the trial at Piedmont Fayette.
Top line results from the MAPLE-HCM trial demonstrated the superiority of aficamten to the standard of care beta blockers in improving peak exercise capacity in patients with obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.
A new class of drugs, called cardiac myosin inhibitors, are among the full range of treatment options available at Piedmont’s HCM Center of Excellence.
Aficamten is an investigational cardiac myosin inhibitor developed by Cytokinetics. If approved by the FDA, aficamten, would be the second cardiac myosin inhibitor to be available for patients, said Dr. Darlington.
At Piedmont, the multidisciplinary team of HCM specialists are focused on helping patients manage the disease, from evaluation to treatment options. “Symptoms like shortness of breath and fatigue can impact patient’s quality of life,” said Dr. Darlington. “Ultimately, we want our patients to feel better.”
Piedmont Fayette is also participating in a Phase 3 clinical trial (ACACIA-HCM) of aficamten in patients with non-obstructive HCM. To learn more about Piedmont Heart’s HCM program, go to piedmont.org/HCM.