Cytokinetics Reveals Key Findings from MAPLE-HCM at the 2025 European Society of Cardiology Congress, Featured in The New England Journal of Medicine | Intellectia.AI
Cytokinetics Reveals Key Findings from MAPLE-HCM at the 2025 European Society of Cardiology Congress, Featured in The New England Journal of Medicine
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Study Overview: Cytokinetics announced the results of the MAPLE-HCM trial, a Phase 3 study comparing the investigational drug Aficamten to the standard beta-blocker Metoprolol in patients with symptomatic obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (oHCM). The trial enrolled 175 patients and was presented at the European Society of Cardiology Congress 2025.
Primary Endpoint Achievement: The primary endpoint measured the mean change in peak oxygen uptake (pVO2) after 24 weeks. Aficamten showed a mean increase of +1.1 mL/kg/min, while Metoprolol showed a decrease of -1.2 mL/kg/min, resulting in a statistically significant difference of 2.3 mL/kg/min (p<0.0001).
Efficacy and Safety Findings
Secondary Endpoints: Aficamten outperformed Metoprolol in five out of six secondary endpoints, including significant improvements in functional class and symptom burden. Notably, 51% of patients on Aficamten improved by one or more classes in the New York Heart Association (NYHA) Functional Class compared to 26% for Metoprolol (p<0.001).
Adverse Events: The rate of adverse events was similar between the two groups. Aficamten was down-titrated in 4.5% of patients, while Metoprolol was down-titrated in 29.9% due to various side effects. The most common adverse event for Aficamten was hypertension (10.2%), while dizziness was more common with Metoprolol (17.2%).
Regulatory Status and Future Plans
Regulatory Review: Aficamten is currently under review by the FDA, with a target action date of December 26, 2025. It has received Breakthrough Therapy Designation for the treatment of symptomatic HCM.
Investor Webcast: Cytokinetics will host an investor event on September 2, 2025, to discuss the MAPLE-HCM results and other data presented at the congress.
Background on Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy
Disease Overview: Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is characterized by abnormal thickening of the heart muscle, leading to reduced exercise capacity and various symptoms. It is the most common inherited cardiovascular disorder, affecting approximately 280,000 diagnosed patients in the U.S., with an estimated additional 400,000-800,000 undiagnosed cases.
Risk Factors: Patients with HCM are at high risk for serious cardiovascular complications, including sudden cardiac death, particularly in younger individuals and athletes.
CYTK
$62.02+Infinity%1D
Analyst Views on CYTK
Wall Street analysts forecast CYTK stock price to rise over the next 12 months. According to Wall Street analysts, the average 1-year price target for CYTK is 81.50 USD with a low forecast of 61.00 USD and a high forecast of 120.00 USD. However, analyst price targets are subjective and often lag stock prices, so investors should focus on the objective reasons behind analyst rating changes, which better reflect the company's fundamentals.
13 Analyst Rating
Wall Street analysts forecast CYTK stock price to rise over the next 12 months. According to Wall Street analysts, the average 1-year price target for CYTK is 81.50 USD with a low forecast of 61.00 USD and a high forecast of 120.00 USD. However, analyst price targets are subjective and often lag stock prices, so investors should focus on the objective reasons behind analyst rating changes, which better reflect the company's fundamentals.
11 Buy
2 Hold
0 Sell
Strong Buy
Current: 62.160
Low
61.00
Averages
81.50
High
120.00
Current: 62.160
Low
61.00
Averages
81.50
High
120.00
RBC Capital
Outperform
maintain
$82 -> $87
2025-11-11
Reason
RBC Capital
Price Target
$82 -> $87
2025-11-11
maintain
Outperform
Reason
RBC Capital raised the firm's price target on Cytokinetics to $87 from $82 and keeps an Outperform rating on the shares ahead of the company's "highly anticipated" launch of aficamten in 2026. The firm is updating its modeling assumptions on opex and revenues to better reflect what early U.S. launch dynamics in 2026 could look like following the December 2025 PDUFA, anchoring to historical competitor data, the analyst tells investors in a research note.
BofA
Jason Zemansky
Neutral
maintain
$62 -> $63
2025-11-06
Reason
BofA
Jason Zemansky
Price Target
$62 -> $63
2025-11-06
maintain
Neutral
Reason
BofA analyst Jason Zemansky raised the firm's price target on Cytokinetics to $63 from $62 and keeps a Neutral rating on the shares. The Q3 report and call were "uneventful" and unlikely to impact the thesis much, says the analyst, who cites adjusted operating expense projections, offset by the change in net cash, for the firm's price target increase.
JPMorgan
Overweight
maintain
$55 -> $70
2025-11-03
Reason
JPMorgan
Price Target
$55 -> $70
2025-11-03
maintain
Overweight
Reason
JPMorgan raised the firm's price target on Cytokinetics to $70 from $55 and keeps an Overweight rating on the shares. The firm upped the price target after revisiting its epidemiology and diagnosis rate assumptions for obstructive and nonobstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Diagnosis trends indicate nonobstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is growing at a faster rate than obstructive and could account for up to half of the total HCM market over time, the analyst tells investors in a research note.
BofA
Neutral
maintain
$56 -> $62
2025-10-21
Reason
BofA
Price Target
$56 -> $62
2025-10-21
maintain
Neutral
Reason
BofA raised the firm's price target on Cytokinetics to $62 from $56 and keeps a Neutral rating on the shares. After incorporating the latest feedback from key opinion leaders, the firm is "modestly" increasing its aficamten forecasts, the analyst tells investors.
About CYTK
Cytokinetics, Incorporated is a late-stage, specialty cardiovascular biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering, developing and commercializing muscle biology-directed drug candidates as potential treatments for debilitating diseases in which cardiac muscle performance is compromised. The Company is engaged in the commercialization of aficamten, a cardiac myosin inhibitor, and is being evaluated in additional clinical trials enrolling patients with obstructive and non-obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. The Company is also developing omecamtiv mecarbil, a cardiac myosin activator, in patients with heart failure with severely reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF); CK-586, a cardiac myosin inhibitor for the potential treatment of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) and CK-089, a fast skeletal muscle troponin activator with potential therapeutic application to a specific type of muscular dystrophy and other conditions of impaired skeletal muscle function.
About the author
Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
