Acoramidis bests tafamidis in head-to-head comparison of ATTR-CM drugs
Real-world data comparing acoramidis with tafamidis in patients with transthyretin amyloid cardiomyopathy (ATTR-CM) showed that acoramidis is associated with a significantly lower risk of heart failure-related hospitalizations. The team behind the new analysis published its findings in Cardiology and Therapy.[1]
Acoramidis and tafamidis are used to treat ATTR-CM, with acoramidis being the most recent one to gain U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval in November 2024. Both drugs prevent transthyretin from misfolding, the root cause of cardiac amyloidosis, but it was not unknown if either medicine offers better patient outcomes.
In this study, the first head-to-head effectiveness study of acoramidis and tafamidis in newly treated patients, acoramidis was associated with a 34% lower risk of clinical worsening than tafamidis. Examples of clinical worsening included the need for diuretic intensification, heart failure hospitalizations and all-cause mortality.
Acoramidis was also associated with a 43% lower risk of diuretic intensification, a known sign of worsening heart failure symptoms. These differences emerged within just weeks of treatment initiation.
"These findings suggest that for patients with ATTR-CM, acoramidis may be better than tafamidis at preventing worsening heart problems," lead author Richard Wright, MD, president of the Pacific Heart Institute in Santa Monica, California, said in a statement. "This information may help patients and doctors choose their treatment for ATTR-CM."
The team's study focused on patients starting these drugs for the first time from December 2024 to April 2025. This period represented the first six months acoramidis was available on the U.S. market. Patients were not included if they had multiple myeloma, light chain amyloidosis or hematopoietic stem cell treatments, or if they had any prior treatments for ATTR-CM.
The researchers said that the most notable finding was the fact that cumulative incidence curves separated early and remained divergent.
BridgeBio Pharma, which sells acoramidis under the brand name Attruby, funded this research.
Click here to read the full study.
Dave Fornell has covered healthcare for more than 17 years, with a focus in cardiology and radiology. Fornell is a 5-time winner of a Jesse H. Neal Award, the most prestigious editorial honors in the field of specialized journalism. The wins included best technical content, best use of social media and best COVID-19 coverage. Fornell was also a three-time Neal finalist for best range of work by a single author. He produces more than 100 editorial videos each year, most of them interviews with key opinion leaders in medicine. He also writes technical articles, covers key trends, conducts video hospital site visits, and is very involved with social media. E-mail: [email protected]