Aficamten was associated with improvement in heart failure symptoms and exercise capacity in patients with nonobstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, according to topline results of the ACACIA-HCM trial.
The results mean that aficamten (Myqorzo, Cytokinetics) is the first cardiac myosin inhibitor to show benefit in patients with nonobstructive HCM. As Healio previously reported, the ODYSSEY-HCM trial did not show a benefit for mavacamten (Camzyos, Bristol Myers Squibb) in this population.
“Patients with nonobstructive HCM have no therapies approved to treat the underlying

Povorcitinib improved nonsegmental vitiligo repigmentation on the face up to 1 year, according to topline results.
Povorcitinib (Incyte) is an oral, highly selective JAK1 inhibitor in clinical development for vitiligo as well as hidradenitis suppurativa, prurigo nodularis and moderate to severe asthma, Healio previously reported.
Among Incyte’s first quarter 2026 financial achievements is “positive registrational data for povorcitinib in vitiligo,” Bill Meury, CEO of Incyte, said in a press release.
In two phase 3 trials, STOP-V1 and STOP-V2, povorcitinib achieved the primary endpoint of a 75%

An injectable monoclonal antibody that targets the insulin-like growth factor I receptor improved proptosis in more than half of people with chronic thyroid eye disease, according to topline results from the REVEAL-2 trial.
As Healio previously reported, elegrobart (Viridian Therapeutics) was associated with a higher percentage of adults with active thyroid eye disease having an improvement in proptosis at 24 weeks compared with placebo in the REVEAL-1 trial. The REVEAL-2 trial assessed the investigational therapy among patients with chronic thyroid eye disease. The trial included 204 adults

Kidney disease is greatly underdiagnosed and undertreated in the United States, but recent initiatives aim to change that, according to Kirk Campbell, MD, president of the National Kidney Foundation.
Healio spoke with Campbell ahead of the NKF Spring Clinical Meetings, taking place May 6 to 10, in New Orleans. Campbell described current issues in kidney care, the CKDintercept initiative designed to increase screening and guideline-directed care, and the possibility of xenotransplantation to increase organs available for transplant.
Healio: What are the biggest challenges facing kidney health

DENVER — A post hoc analysis of phase 3 pivotal data demonstrated sustained symptom improvements in patients with dry eye disease who received Xiidra, according to a presentation.
At the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology meeting, John D. Sheppard, MD, MMSc, FACS, of Virginia Eye Consultants, told Healio that the analysis of data from the OPUS-2 and OPUS-3 studies allowed for the evaluation of populations that may have responded early, intermediately or later to treatment.
{{VIDEO}}
According to the abstract, 638 patients with a mean age of 58.4 years received Xiidra

A novel bipolar conduction system pacing implantable cardioverter defibrillator lead demonstrated short-term safety and efficacy in a pivotal trial, researchers reported at Heart Rhythm 2026.
The ASCEND CSP trial, simultaneously published in HeartRhythm, included 205 patients (mean age, 63.6 years; 26.8% women) requiring left bundle branch area pacing who underwent implantation with an ICD or cardiac resynchronization therapy defibrillator with the bipolar conduction system pacing lead (UltiSynq CSP ICD lead, model LDA1122Q, Abbott). The lead is not yet approved for commercial use in the

U.S. consumers spent less money on a range of vision care products in the first quarter of 2026 compared with previous quarters, favoring lower-priced items and buying fewer of them, according to the Vision Council.
“Consumers are making more value-conscious choices, and that extends to vision care,” Kris Stevens, vice president of research at the Vision Council, said in a press release. “With inflation and broader economic uncertainty continuing to shape household budgets, it’s no surprise that discretionary spending is under pressure, and eyewear is not immune.”

WASHINGTON — GLP-1 receptor agonists and dual GLP-1/glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide agonists are not likely to decrease the effectiveness of oral contraceptives, data suggest.
“The practical takeaway is that contraceptive counseling should be incorporated when prescribing incretin-based therapies, especially at initiation and during dose escalation,” Casey Moffitt, MD, an OB/GYN resident physician at New York University Langone-Long Island, told Healio. “For most GLP-1 receptor agonists, including semaglutide and liraglutide, the available pharmacokinetic data are reassuring and

LAS VEGAS — GLP-1 receptor agonists may not raise the risk for diabetic ketoacidosis or pancreatitis among adults with type 1 diabetes, according to the findings from a single-center study.
During a presentation at the American Association of Clinical Endocrinology Annual Scientific and Clinical Conference, Justin Do, DO, an endocrinology fellow at Loma Linda University Medical Center in California, said GLP-1s are not approved for the management of type 1 diabetes, but more people in that population are using the drugs for obesity treatment. Do said this is becoming more common as obesity

Living kidney donation has received increased attention in clinical practice and in the media since the Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes published clinical practice guidelines on living donation in 2017.
In a review published in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology, Krista Lentine, MD, PhD, medical director of living donation at the SSM Health Saint Louis University Hospital Transplant Center, and colleagues highlighted insights that have emerged since the KDIGO guideline publication. Among these, genetic testing, use of a race-neutral eGFR equation and hypertension