In this episode of In the Thick of It, hosts Dr. Betty Raman and Dr. James MacNamara welcome Professor Martin Maron, Director of the Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Center at Lahey Hospital & Medical Center, to discuss the innovative FORTITUDE-HCM study. This Phase 2b trial focuses on the symptomatic non-obstructive HCM population—a group considered to have one of the greatest unmet treatment needs in the field. The conversation explores the unique mechanism of ninerafaxstat, a metabolic modulator that shifts energy utilization from fatty acids to glucose to improve cardiac energetics and diastolic relaxation. Professor Maron highlights the promising results from the earlier IMPROVE-HCM trial, details the 12-week design of the current study, and speculates on a future where "combination therapy" becomes the standard of care for complex HCM cases.