Burlington, Mass. – August 27, 2026
Cardurion Pharmaceuticals announced that it will present late-breaking results from two Phase 2 CYCLE clinical trials evaluating tovinontrine (CRD-750), an oral PDE9 inhibitor, in chronic heart failure at the Heart Failure Society of America (HFSA) Annual Scientific Meeting in October 2026. The presentations will provide Phase 2 data from studies evaluating tovinontrine in both major types of chronic heart failure, heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) and heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). For cGxP.wire, the key development is the completion of Cardurion’s global Phase 2 program and planned disclosure of late-breaking clinical results, which could help determine the next stage of development for PDE9 inhibition in heart failure. The presentations are scheduled for October 9–12, 2026, in Phoenix, Arizona.
Cardurion to Present Phase 2 Tovinontrine Results
The upcoming HFSA presentations will report results from Cardurion’s global, multicenter CYCLE-1 REF and CYCLE-2 PEF Phase 2 trials, evaluating the safety and efficacy of tovinontrine in HFrEF and HFpEF, respectively. The CYCLE-1 REF study is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, dose-finding trial in patients with chronic HFrEF, while CYCLE-2 PEF evaluates tovinontrine in patients with chronic HFpEF. The company said the studies represent the first completed robust Phase 2 clinical evaluation of PDE9 inhibition in chronic heart failure. The data are particularly important because Cardurion is developing tovinontrine around a novel mechanism intended to enhance the natriuretic peptide signaling (NPS) pathway, which plays an important role in cardiovascular and renal physiology. The detailed efficacy and safety results have not yet been publicly disclosed, making the October presentations the key upcoming clinical catalyst for the program.
Tovinontrine Targets the PDE9-NPS Pathway
Tovinontrine is an orally administered PDE9 inhibitor designed to increase the beneficial effects of natriuretic peptide signaling. Cardurion’s approach is based on evidence that PDE9 activity is increased in chronic heart failure and can interfere with NPS pathway activity. By inhibiting PDE9, tovinontrine is intended to enhance signaling through this clinically validated pathway rather than directly targeting conventional heart-failure mechanisms. Cardurion has positioned the program as a differentiated approach because the company is the first to advance a PDE9 inhibitor into clinical development for chronic heart failure and has previously reported clinical proof-of-mechanism for its PDE9 program. However, mechanistic rationale and proof-of-mechanism do not establish clinical benefit; the upcoming Phase 2 efficacy and safety data will be critical in determining whether PDE9 inhibition can produce meaningful improvements for patients.
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Phase 2 Data Could Guide Next Development Stage
The completion of the CYCLE trials provides Cardurion with clinical data across both major heart-failure phenotypes, potentially allowing the company to determine where to focus further development of tovinontrine. The October HFSA presentations are expected to provide information on the treatment’s safety and efficacy and could inform dose selection and the design of subsequent clinical studies. Cardurion is developing tovinontrine alongside programs targeting PDE9 and CaMKII, with the broader objective of introducing new mechanisms for cardiovascular disease. The key limitation at this stage is that the company has not yet disclosed the detailed Phase 2 outcomes, so the program’s clinical value cannot be judged from the announcement alone. The actual HFSA efficacy, safety and dose-response results will be the major determinant of whether tovinontrine can advance toward a larger registrational development program.
Source:Cardurion Pharmaceuticals,,,press relese
