Viz.ai, provider of AI-powered disease detection and care coordination tools has announced a multiyear agreement with Bristol Myers Squibb. The partnership will deploy an artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm intended to identify and triage patients suspected with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM).
Why it’s Notable:
The tool, Viz HCM, will automatically review routine electrocardiograms (ECGs) gathered across a hospital or health system, and then send an alert to the appropriate care teams if signs of HCM are detected in a patient’s ECG data. This will help the physicians intervene in a timely manner and take appropriate clinical action including recommending a follow-up diagnostic test in tandem to the standard of care.
Just last year, BMS received breakthrough therapy designation and orphan drug designation for Camzyos (mavacamten) for the treatment of adults with symptomatic obstructive HCM. Camzyos is the first and only FDA-approved allosteric and reversible inhibitor selective for cardiac myosin that targets the underlying pathophysiology of obstructive HCM. BMS’ partnership with Viz.ai demonstrates the company’s dedication and commitment to tackling HCM and improving patient outcomes.
Industry Implications:
HCM is the most common genetic heart disease in the U.S. with an estimated prevalence of 1 in 500 persons. The disease remains largely under-diagnosed due to a varying disease presentation across patients and non-specific symptoms with gradual onset. The development of this tool could enable earlier detection and management of suspected HCM and reduce the risk of developing further cardiac problems like atrial fibrillation, stroke or heart failure which are associated with HCM.
Innovation in cardiovascular imaging is increasing with many solutions entering the market that can support diagnosis and prognosis across a range of imaging modalities including echocardiogram, ECG and ultrasound. AI has the potential to reduce human errors and save time in the cardiology workflow through automatic segmentation of cardiac structures, disease recognition and prediction of cardiovascular outcomes. It is likely that we will see increased adoption of these technologies over the coming years.
- As of January 2023, there are now more than 520 FDA cleared AI medical algorithms available within the U.S. wherein the majority are related to medical imaging. Specifically, 58 of these are related to the field of cardiology. In the last year alone, the FDA added 178 new algorithms across all therapeutic areas to the list highlighting the rapid development of this field. The FDA expects this trend to continue and it is likely that AI in clinical practice will become commonplace in the future as its potential is further unlocked.