On 29 March, Dr. Sarah Birkhoelzer, presented results from the open-label, Phase IIa trial of ninerafaxstat during a moderated poster contributions session at this year’s American College of Cardiology (ACC) Scientific Session. The discussion was on the topic of “Innovations and Insights in Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction: Emerging Therapies, Biomarkers and Mechanistic Studies”.
According to the results, Imbria Pharmaceuticals’ ninerafaxstat improved cardiac energetics, function, and symptom burden in patients with cardiometabolic heart failure (HF) with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). Ninerafaxstat acts as a partial fatty acid oxidation inhibitor. Ninerafaxstat may fill an unmet need in HFpEF as it represents a unique mechanism of improving cardiac energetics. By shifting cardiac metabolism from fatty acid oxidation to more efficient glucose oxidation, it addresses a fundamental aspect of HFpEF pathophysiology that is not directly addressed by most current therapies.
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The Phase IIa IMPROVE-DiCE trial has two parts, with part one focusing on patients with type 2 diabetes who are at risk of diabetic cardiomyopathy and part two focusing on patients with established HFpEF. In August 2022, Imbria Pharmaceuticals presented positive preliminary results from part one of the IMPROVE-DiCE trial at the European Society of Cardiology Congress. These findings demonstrated that in patients with type 2 diabetes and obesity, the use of ninerafaxstat significantly increased resting cardiac energetics, reduced cardiac steatosis, and improved left ventricular diastolic function. The findings presented at ACC provide additional positive data regarding ninerafaxstat’s effects, specifically in HFpEF patients. Ninerafaxstat could complement existing treatments rather than replace them.
HF is a critical clinical condition where certain structural and functional abnormalities in the heart impair its ability to meet systemic circulation. The various causes that contribute to these abnormalities are hypertension, arrythmia, valvular heart disease, and risk factors including high cholesterol, infection, and genetic factors. There is strong opportunity in the HF space for new agents that could further reduce the incidence of HF-associated hospitalisations and mortality. Imbria Pharmaceuticals is developing novel therapeutics for treating cardiometabolic disorders. The company is headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, the US.
