Experimental Drug Helps Folks Battling Enlarged Heart Move More [Video]

Key Takeaways

An experimental drug can help people with a genetic condition that causes an enlarged and thickened heartAficamten improved oxygen uptake in people with hypertrophic cardiomyopathyThis allowed people with the condition to do everyday tasks and exercise without becoming breathless

FRIDAY, May 17, 2024 (HealthDay News) — An experimental drug can help patients better live with a genetic condition that causes the heart to enlarge and thicken, a new clinical trial shows.

People with the condition, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), were able to take in and use significantly more oxygen while exercising after taking the drug aficamten, researchers reported May 15 in the New England Journal of Medicine.

“By having more oxygen available during exercise, patients with obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy can more easily walk, perform household chores and do other everyday tasks,” said researcher Dr. Ahmad Masri, director of the Oregon Health & Science University’s Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Center.

HCM affects about one in 500 people, and …