Cytokinetics Brings Patent Suit Against Bristol Myers, Escalating Rivalry

Cytokinetics has filed a patent‑related lawsuit against Bristol Myers Squibb and its subsidiary MyoKardia, accusing BMS of obtaining a patent on methods of treating hypertrophic cardiomyopathy that allegedly cover aficamten, the active ingredient in Cytokinetics’ newly launched heart drug MYQORZO, despite BMS having no role in its discovery or development.

Cytokinetics seeks a declaratory judgment that MYQORZO does not infringe U.S. Patent No. 12,616,697 and that the patent’s claims are invalid, and also wants an injunction to block BMS and MyoKardia from threatening or launching infringement litigation against Cytokinetics or any users, customers, or distributors of MYQORZO.

The complaint was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware; the legal action is part of a broader commercial rivalry between the two companies, as MYQORZO competes directly with BMS’s heart drug Camzyos in the multibillion‑dollar HCM market, and the outcome of the litigation remains uncertain.