Study summary

Aficamten beat the long-standing first-line beta-blocker head to head

MAPLE-HCM trial · 175 people, phase 3 · Published August 2025, New England Journal of Medicine

2.3ml/kg/min better peak oxygen uptake than metoprolol

What was tested

Aficamten alone against metoprolol alone as first treatment for symptomatic obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

What they found

Peak oxygen uptake improved 1.1 with aficamten and fell 1.2 with metoprolol (difference 2.3 ml/kg/min).
Symptoms, obstruction and heart-strain markers all improved more with aficamten.

What it means

Could move myosin inhibitors from add-on to first treatment.

N Engl J Med, via PubMed ↗ ← Back to the outlook

Last reviewed 2026-11-15 by the Find a Trial editorial team. Information on this page is for educational purposes and is not medical advice. Always consult qualified healthcare professionals about clinical trial participation.