What the trial was testing
The COSMIC-HF enrolled 544 patients with heart failure. The study was sponsored by Cytokinetics and tracked outcomes across the full group of patients who matched the trial's eligibility profile.
It was initial testing (phase 2). Trials at this stage are designed to produce evidence regulators and physicians can act on — not just observations to follow up later.
What the results showed
The pill increased stroke volume by 3.6 mL and reduced heart chamber size by 1.8 mm in patients with heart failure.
Lancet (London, England) · 2016 · NCT01786512
These findings — that hearts pumped more blood with each beat compared to placebo — were published in the Lancet (London, England) and represent the headline result of the study.
Researchers tracked outcomes across 544 patients enrolled in the trial. The result was consistent enough across the group that the team felt confident reporting it.
What this means for patients
For patients with heart failure, this result changes the calculus on what to ask their care team about. Whether it changes day-to-day care depends on factors like disease subtype, prior treatments, and where the patient is in their care journey.
What you can do now
This treatment improved how well the heart pumps and helped reduce dangerous heart enlargement. This was a mid-stage study and the pill is not yet FDA-approved. If you have heart failure, ask your doctor about clinical trials testing this medication or other treatments that strengthen heart muscle.
Eligibility for the treatments mentioned above depends on specific test results and clinical history. Bring this summary, the trial name, and your most recent labs or pathology report to your next visit.
Open heart failure trials
Targeting Breathing Limitations to Improve Functional Outcomes in HFpEF
The overall purpose of this study is to investigate whether pulmonary limitations that increase the oxygen (O2) cost of breathing impact dyspnea on exertion (DOE) and peak exercise capacity in patients with HFpEF and obesity. As per investigator's hypothesis, obesity is likely a significant contributor to DOE and exercise intolerance in patients with HFpEF.
A Post Market Surveillance Study of the Hemovent Extracorporeal Cardiopulmonary Support System:The MOBYBOX Trial
The purpose of this study is to evaluate prospectively the safety and performance of the MOBYBOX System in the veno-arterial configuration in patients with cardiorespiratory failure or in the veno-venous configuration in patients with severe respiratory failure.