Transthyretin amyloid cardiomyopathy is caused by the deposition of transthyretin amyloid fibrils in the myocardium. The deposition occurs when wild-type or variant transthyretin becomes unstable and misfolds. Tafamidis binds to transthyretin, preventing tetramer dissociation and amyloidogenesis.

In a multicenter, international, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 3 trial, we randomly assigned 441 patients with transthyretin amyloid cardiomyopathy in a 2:1:2 ratio to receive 80 mg of tafamidis, 20 mg of tafamidis, or placebo for 30 months. In the primary analysis, we hierarchically assessed all-cause mortality, followed by frequency of cardiovascular-related hospitalizations according to the Finkelstein–Schoenfeld method. Key secondary end points were the change from baseline to month 30 for the 6-minute walk test and the score on the Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire–Overall Summary (KCCQ-OS), in which higher scores indicate better health status.

In the primary analysis, all-cause mortality and rates of cardiovascular-related hospitalizations were lower among the 264 patients who received tafamidis than among the 177 patients who received placebo (P<0.001). Tafamidis was associated with lower all-cause mortality than placebo (78 of 264 [29.5%] vs. 76 of 177 [42.9%]; hazard ratio, 0.70; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.51 to 0.96) and a lower rate of cardiovascular-related hospitalizations, with a relative risk ratio of 0.68 (0.48 per year vs. 0.70 per year; 95% CI, 0.56 to 0.81). At month 30, tafamidis was also associated with a lower rate of decline in distance for the 6-minute walk test (P<0.001) and a lower rate of decline in KCCQ-OS score (P<0.001). The incidence and types of adverse events were similar in the two groups.

In patients with transthyretin amyloid cardiomyopathy, tafamidis was associated with reductions in all-cause mortality and cardiovascular-related hospitalizations and reduced the decline in functional capacity and quality of life as compared with placebo. (Funded by Pfizer; ATTR-ACT ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT01994889.)