
Earth HCM Tool Launched for HCM Community
Cytokinetics, Incorporated announced the launch of EARTH-HCM (Epidemiology, Awareness, Real-world Treatment and Health Outcomes in HCM), an online, open access, interactive public health education tool developed by Cytokinetics in collaboration with leading academic institutions, that leverages real-world, de-identified claims data to visualize and analyze population differences in patient characteristics, treatments, clinical outcomes, healthcare resource utilization and costs in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) in the U.S.
EARTH-HCM is an innovative, user-friendly, interactive tool designed to bridge the gap in awareness and education about HCM by providing insights into the treatment landscape and disparities in care. The tool was engineered to serve an array of stakeholders, including patients and caregivers, clinicians, pharmacists, researchers, policy decision-makers, payors and patient advocacy groups. EARTH-HCM was developed with experts in HCM including cardiologists, clinical pharmacy specialists and data scientists from leading academic institutions including Oregon Health & Science University; Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania; Yale School of Medicine; Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School; and Georgia Institute of Technology.
“Until now, limited evidence has been available on the geographical distribution of HCM and its impact on patient outcomes. EARTH-HCM aims to advance research, uncover knowledge gaps, and investigate disparities in care, ultimately promoting more equitable access, not just for our company, but for the entire HCM community,” said Sanatan Shreay, Ph.D., Cytokinetics’ Executive Director, Head of Health Economics and Outcomes Research. “We are proud to have led the development of this innovative tool to further HCM education, raise awareness, enhance treatment strategies and empower patients to feel more connected to their local communities.”
EARTH-HCM uses data from Symphony Health’s Integrated Dataverse (IDV) prescription claims database including real-world, deidentified claims from over 65,000 pharmacies, 1,500 hospitals, 800 outpatient facilities and 80,000 physician practices across the U.S., currently representing a majority of patients with HCM diagnosed between 2016 and 2023. EARTH-HCM will be updated regularly with publicly available data and expanded to include data from global geographies.
“Alongside advancements in the treatment landscape for HCM, diagnosis rates around the U.S. are increasing. Currently, most patients with HCM receive treatment at centers of excellence, however, these institutions are not easily accessible to all patients,” said Ahmad Masri, M.D., MS, Director of the Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Center at Oregon Health & Science University and member of the EARTH-HCM Committee. “A tool like EARTH-HCM can help both patients and healthcare providers understand current geographical disparities in the treatment of HCM as can hopefully lead to improved recognition, care and outcomes.”
“EARTH-HCM is a first-of-its-kind tool in HCM offering a comprehensive view of HCM patients everywhere in the U.S.,” said Ralph Riello, PharmD, Yale School of Medicine, Clinical Pharmacy Specialist and member of the EARTH-HCM Committee. “With this unprecedented level of insight, we can identify where eligible patients are, engage providers and payors to address the burden of disease in HCM and ultimately work to improve patient outcomes and healthcare costs.”
EARTH-HCM can be accessed online at www.earth-hcm.com.