Edgewise falls on safety, efficacy doubts for heart disease drug

Edgewise Therapeutics

02/04/2025 14:45

** Shares of biopharma firm Edgewise Therapeutics EWTX fall 39.4% to $12.20

** EWTX says its experimental drug, EDG-7500, when tested in patients with Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), was able to meaningfully reduce LVOT gradients, a predictor of heart failure

** But patients who took the drug reported dizziness and respiratory tract infections, with one patient discontinuing the trial due to dizziness

** Brokerage RBC Capital Market says "while there may be some questions around safety, we think the profile is manageable"

** RBC says the efficacy markers from this trial are "relatively modest" compared with early-stage study data

** Shares of rival Cytokinetics CYTK.O, which is developing experimental heart drug aficamten, rise 12% to $42

** HCM is characterized by thickening of the heart muscle, affecting its ability to pump blood

** As of last close, EWTX has risen 11.7% in the past 12 months

(Reporting by Siddhi Mahatole)

((siddhi.mahatole@thomsonreuters.com))