• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

International Alliance of ALS/MND Associations

  • Members' Login
  • Contact
  • Join the Alliance
  • Donate
  • What is ALS/MND
  • Find a Member Association
  • Support for PALS & CALS
    • Fundamental Rights for People with ALS/MND and Caregivers
    • Research
      • Voice Preservation
      • Open Science
      • Expanded Access
      • Understanding ALS/MND Research
      • Improving Regulatory Pathways
      • Right to Try
      • US FDA Orphan Drug Designation
      • Unproven (Off-Label) Treatments
      • Open Label Extension
    • Advocacy
      • Advocacy Toolkit
      • Emergency Preparedness Toolkit
      • Equitable Access to Therapies
      • Recommendations for Trial Sponsors
    • Clinical Care
      • Genetic Counselling & Testing
      • Mental Health Support
      • Nursing and Symptom Management
      • Nutrition and Swallowing
      • Occupational Therapy and Activities of Daily Living
      • Physiotherapy and Mobility
      • Respiratory Care
      • Speech Therapy and Communication
      • Support for Family & Caregivers
      • Technology
      • Global Clinic Locator
    • Drugs in Development
      • AB Science – Masitinib
      • BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics – NurOwn
      • Clene Nanomedicine – CNM-Au8
      • Collaborative Medicinal Development – CuATSM
      • ILB – Tikomed
      • Kadimastem – AstroRx
      • Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma America – Oral Edaravone
      • Neuronata-R/Lenzumestrocel
      • NeuroSense – PrimeC
      • Neuvivo – NP001
      • Prilenia Therapeutics – Pridopidine
      • T Regulatory Cell Therapies
      • SOD1 Therapies & Trials
    • Approved Drugs
      • Nuedexta
      • Radicava/Edaravone
      • Riluzole/Tiglutik
      • Rozebalamin/Methylcobalamin
      • Tofersen/Qalsody
    • Drugs No Longer in Development
      • Amylyx – AMX0035
      • Collaborative Medicinal Development – CuATSM
      • Cytokinetics – Reldesemtiv
      • Orphazyme – Arimoclomol
      • TUDCA Trial
  • Support for Health Professionals
    • Breaking the News in ALS/MND
    • Diagnostic Delay (in development)
  • Events/Programs
    • Calendar of Events/Programs
    • Alliance Meeting
    • Allied Professionals Forum
    • Alliance Webinars
    • ALS/MND Connect
    • Global Day
    • March of Faces
    • Patient Fellows Program
    • Global CRLI
    • International Symposium
  • About
    • Who We Are
    • ALS/MND Health Literacy Map
    • Board of Trustees
    • Advisory Councils/Committees
      • Scientific Advisory Council
      • PALS and CALS Advisory Council
      • Innovation and Technology Council
      • Advocacy and Public Policy Forum
      • Research Directors Forum
      • Governance Committee
      • Finance Committee
    • Staff
    • History
    • Archives
      • Newsletters
      • Meetings
    • Awards
      • Forbes Norris Award
      • Humanitarian Award
      • Allied Health Professional Award
      • Student Innovation Award
  • Members
    • Member Registration
    • Forgot Password

Cytokinetics – Reldesemtiv

Background

Cytokinetics is a company that was founded in 1997 to develop treatments targeting impairments in muscle function. 

Cytokinetics has recently tested reldesemtiv after previously working on their initial ALS drug tirasemtiv. Tirasemtiv showed promising results in a Phase 2 clinical trial (BENEFIT-ALS) in 2014, and was followed by a phase 3 clinical trial (VITALITY-ALS) that failed to show any significant positive effects on the disease. One of the key problems with tirasemtiv was tolerability. Despite targeting muscle, it also entered the brain and caused nausea, dizziness and other symptoms that were considered safe, but not particularly tolerable, as it caused participants to drop out of trials, thereby reducing the statistical power needed to determine any benefit. 

Prior to the completion of the phase 3 trial, Cytokinetics also conducted a phase 2 trial of reldesemtiv, which had all the muscle benefits of tirasemtiv, but without the ability to cross the blood-brain barrier into the central nervous system and cause the unwanted side effects of dizziness and nausea. This was a large phase 2 clinical trial (over 400 participants) that had vastly improved tolerance but did not meet it’s goals of showing statistically significant slowing of breathing capacity, disease progression rate or muscle strength. However, as the dosing was only for 12 weeks and the trends were in the direction of a positive result, the interpretation was not necessarily that of a failed trial, but rather one that would need further testing to determine if reldesemtiv has value for treating ALS. 

Cytokinetics commenced a phase 3 clinical trial in 2021, called Clinical Outcomes Using Reldesemtiv on ALSFRS-R in a Global Evaluation of ALS (COURAGE-ALS), with a goal of enrolling 555 participants at sites across multiple countries. The trial included two planned unblinded interim analyses conducted by the Data Monitoring Committee. The first interim analysis assessed for futility, 12 weeks after approximately one-third or more of the planned sample size were randomized. The second interim analysis assessed for futility with the option for a fixed increase in total enrollment, if it had been deemed necessary, to augment the statistical power of the trial.

At the first interim analysis in October 2022, the DMC reviewed unblinded data from COURAGE-ALS and recommended that conduct of the clinical trial of reldesemtiv continue. However, following the 2nd interim review in March 2023, the DMC reviewed further accumulated unblinded data from COURAGE-ALS and recommended the discontinuation of the clinical trial due to futility. This was due to it finding no evidence of effect in patients treated with reldesemtiv relative to placebo on the primary endpoint of change from baseline to 24 weeks in ALSFRS-R or in key secondary endpoints. In addition, Cytokinetics plans to discontinue treatment with reldesemtiv in all patients including those in the open-label extension study, COURAGE-ALS OLE.

Although a negative outcome, Cytokinetics should be commended for their strong study design incorporating these interim reviews which curtailed the unnecessary burden for participants in continuing on an ineffective treatment or placebo.

We sincerely thank Cytokinetics for their commitment to trying to bring new treatments to the MND/ALS community. During their involvement in developing new MND/ALS treatments Cytokinetics have been a fantastic supporter of the community.

Recommendation

The failure of the COURAGE-ALS trial has demonstrated that reldesemtiv will not be an effective therapy for MND/ALS.

 

International Alliance of ALS/MND Associations
April 2023

 


The original language of communication is English and any translation cannot be guaranteed for accuracy of messaging.

Primary Sidebar

  • Angela Jansen, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Muskelkranke e.V.-DGM, Diagnosed 1995, Germany

    Angela Jansen, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Muskelkranke e.V.-DGM, Diagnosed 1995, Germany

  • 727747090571358167

    727747090571358167

  • Joyce Rusinak, Forbes Norris ALS Center, USA

    Joyce Rusinak, Forbes Norris ALS Center, USA

  • Tison, USA

    Tison, USA

  • Phil Rossall, MND-Association, UK

    Phil Rossall, MND-Association, UK

  • Fernando Ocampo Cardona, Colombia

    Fernando Ocampo Cardona, Colombia

  • Peng Yi-Wen

    Peng Yi-Wen

  • Ian Roberts

    Ian Roberts

  • Olga Cosentino, Diagnosed 2013,  Asociación ELA Argentina

    Olga Cosentino, Diagnosed 2013, Asociación ELA Argentina

  • Dad

    Dad

  • Ada Garrido Benavidez, Diagnosed 2016,  FYADENMAC, Mexico

    Ada Garrido Benavidez, Diagnosed 2016, FYADENMAC, Mexico

  • Jan Zuring, Diagnosed 2010 , The Netherlands

    Jan Zuring, Diagnosed 2010 , The Netherlands

  • Daniel Hare

    Daniel Hare

  • Josée Kolijn-de Man, Diagnosed 2015 , ALS Patients Connected, The Netherlands

    Josée Kolijn-de Man, Diagnosed 2015 , ALS Patients Connected, The Netherlands

  • Alan Liz Ogg 29042016 000799 lo res

    Alan Liz Ogg 29042016 000799 lo res

  • Maurice Leclerc, Canada

    Maurice Leclerc, Canada

  • Sébastien Batiot, Diagnosed 2012 , ARSLA, France

    Sébastien Batiot, Diagnosed 2012 , ARSLA, France

  • Guoqiang Xu, Diagnosed 2016 , Shaanxi ALS Association, China

    Guoqiang Xu, Diagnosed 2016 , Shaanxi ALS Association, China

  • Horacio Fritzer, Argentina

    Horacio Fritzer, Argentina

  • Chen Chun-Chin

    Chen Chun-Chin

  • Mahmood Anwar, UK

    Mahmood Anwar, UK

  • H. Todd Kelly, Diagnosed 2013 , ALS Hope Foundation, USA

    H. Todd Kelly, Diagnosed 2013 , ALS Hope Foundation, USA

  • Susan Keldani, Les Turner ALS Foundation, USA

    Susan Keldani, Les Turner ALS Foundation, USA

  • Yolanda Armendariz, Diagnosed 2017 , FYADENMAC, Mexico

    Yolanda Armendariz, Diagnosed 2017 , FYADENMAC, Mexico

  • Zabun Nassar, MND Association, Diagnosed 2016, England

    Zabun Nassar, MND Association, Diagnosed 2016, England

  • Jo Knowlton and her dog, Scotland

    Jo Knowlton and her dog, Scotland

  • Frank "Papa" Taylor

    Frank “Papa” Taylor

  • Wiebke Braach, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Muskelkranke, Germany

    Wiebke Braach, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Muskelkranke, Germany

  • Steve

    Steve

  • Natalya Rybakova, Russian Charity ALS Foundation

    Natalya Rybakova, Russian Charity ALS Foundation

  • Fabio Correia

    Fabio Correia

  • Dawn Morton, Diagnosed 2014 , MND Scotland, UK

    Dawn Morton, Diagnosed 2014 , MND Scotland, UK

  • Shay Rishoni

    Shay Rishoni

  • Feng Gin Sun, Diagnosed 2014 , Shaanxi ALS Association, China

    Feng Gin Sun, Diagnosed 2014 , Shaanxi ALS Association, China

  • Jose Rivero Muñoz, Diagnosed 2015, FYADENMAC, Mexico

    Jose Rivero Muñoz, Diagnosed 2015, FYADENMAC, Mexico

  • Liz Ogg, Diagnosed 2013 , MND Scotland, UK

    Liz Ogg, Diagnosed 2013 , MND Scotland, UK

  • Alberto Baez Murillo, Colombia

    Alberto Baez Murillo, Colombia

  • Irene McCaughey, Diagnosed 2011,  MND Australia

    Irene McCaughey, Diagnosed 2011, MND Australia

  • Robbie Caliste, UK

    Robbie Caliste, UK

  • Elkin Ramiro Gaviria Muñoz, Diagnosed December 2018

    Elkin Ramiro Gaviria Muñoz, Diagnosed December 2018

  • Claudia Cominetti, Associazione conSLAncio Onlus,  Italy

    Claudia Cominetti, Associazione conSLAncio Onlus, Italy

  • Glen Elison,  ALS Hope Foundation,  Diagnosed 2019,  USA

    Glen Elison, ALS Hope Foundation, Diagnosed 2019, USA

  • Christian Bär, Germany

    Christian Bär, Germany

  • Fabio Carvalho

    Fabio Carvalho

  • David Watson,  MND Scotland,  Diagnosed 2018

    David Watson, MND Scotland, Diagnosed 2018

  • Malcolm Buck, Australia

    Malcolm Buck, Australia

  • David Bishop

    David Bishop

  • Luis Antonio Pimenta Lima, Brazil

    Luis Antonio Pimenta Lima, Brazil

  • Graham Johnson, MND Australia

    Graham Johnson, MND Australia

  • Lombana, Spain

    Lombana, Spain

Learn more about the March of Faces

Latest Tweets

  • Just now

Drugs No Longer in Development

  • Amylyx – AMX0035
  • Collaborative Medicinal Development – CuATSM
  • Cytokinetics – Reldesemtiv
  • Orphazyme – Arimoclomol
  • TUDCA Trial

Footer

Subscribe to our Bi-Monthly Newsletter

Sign up to receive updates and to hear what's going on in the International Alliance of ALS/MND Associations.

"*" indicates required fields

 
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
Return to top of page

Contact | Disclaimer | Privacy Notice & Cookies | Sitemap

Copyright © 2025 The International Alliance of ALS/MND Associations. All rights reserved.


Registered in England: Charity Number 1079504 · Site built by graphics.coop · Powered by WordPress · Members' login