BridgeBio and Community Partners Launch Nationwide ATTR-CM Education Effort Ahead of World Amyloidosis Day

BridgeBio Pharma, Inc. (Nasdaq: BBIO) (the “Company” or “BridgeBio”), a commercial-stage, multi-product biopharmaceutical company focused on genetic diseases, today announced a nationwide education effort with community partners to increase awareness of transthyretin amyloid cardiomyopathy, also called ATTR cardiac amyloidosis (ATTR-CM). ATTR-CM is an underrecognized cause of heart failure that occurs when TTR, a protein that plays an essential role in the transport of vitamin A and thyroxine, becomes unstable, breaks down and builds up in the heart, causing it to become thicker and stiffer and making it harder to pump blood effectively. Because symptoms may resemble more common heart conditions or be dismissed as normal aging, ATTR-CM can be overlooked or identified later in the disease journey.

The effort will begin with an October 6 YouTube premiere and continue through community conversations and educational programming leading up to World Amyloidosis Day on October 26.

The premiere features a candid conversation on Black men’s heart health and ATTR-CM moderated by veteran broadcaster, Sway Calloway. The panel includes sports executive, author, philanthropist and ATTR-CM advocate, Howard “H” White; Albert J. Hicks III, M.D., MPH, Director of Cardiopulmonary Care and Heart/Lung Transplant at Integris Baptist Medical Center in Oklahoma; and Hip Hop Public Health (HHPH) Founding Artist and Founder, Doug E. Fresh and HHPH Founder and Board Chair, Olajide Williams, M.D., M.S., who serve as Community and Health Education Partners for the initiative. The program will premiere October 6 at 6:00 pm EDT at HowardWhiteStory.com/premiere.

The nationwide effort is supported by community partners including the Association of Black Cardiologists (ABC), the National Minority Quality Forum (NMQF), 100 Black Men of the Bay Area, Inc. and the National Medical Association (NMA). Partners will host or support viewings and related educational programming at 40 locations nationwide, including Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, Oakland, and Washington D.C.

“ATTR-CM deserves greater attention as part of the cardiovascular health conversation, particularly for Black Americans who may be at increased risk. We’re proud to support BridgeBio in helping patients, families and healthcare professionals recognize when there may be more to a heart failure diagnosis,” said Kevin Kwaku, M.D., Ph.D., President of the Association of Black Cardiologists.

“Approximately 1 in 25 Black Americans carries a genetic variant associated with ATTR-CM, and too often the diagnosis comes only after the heart has already been significantly affected,” said Uma Sinha, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer at BridgeBio. “Our understanding of this progressive disease has moved faster than awareness of it. Shortness of breath, fatigue, and carpal tunnel in both wrists can be written off as aging or as a more common form of heart failure, and years can pass before anyone names the real cause. Putting clinicians, cultural leaders and Howard ‘H’ White’s lived experience in the same room, alongside partners rooted in these communities, is how we close this gap.”

At the center of the conversation is White, who is living with ATTR-CM and founded the Howard H. White Center for Cardiac Amyloidosis. Drawing on his own journey from symptoms to diagnosis, he has become a prominent voice for recognizing changes in one’s health, speaking up and advocating for answers.

As the Community and Health Education Partners, Dr. Williams and Doug E. Fresh reinforced the importance of moving health conversations from awareness to action, particularly through trusted voices, culture and community.

“At Hip Hop Public Health, we know that people are more likely to engage with health information when it is relevant to their lives and delivered through voices and cultural touchpoints they trust. Our goal is to make these conversations accessible and actionable, so people feel empowered to recognize changes in their health, ask questions and advocate for themselves and their families,” said Dr. Williams.

ATTR-CM exists in two forms: wild-type disease associated with aging and hereditary, or variant, disease passed through families. Certain variants are more commonly carried by people of African ancestry. Approximately 1 in 25 Black Americans in the United States carries the V142I, also known as V122I, variant associated with ATTR-CM, although not everyone who carries the variant will develop the disease.^1–3

“ATTR-CM can hide in plain sight because its symptoms often mirror heart failure we see every day. For Black patients, particularly those with ancestry-linked risk, knowing when to look beyond the familiar diagnosis can change the course of the disease,” said Dr. Hicks.

The discussion also examines broader cardiovascular disparities affecting Black Americans and why greater awareness, earlier recognition and conversations with healthcare providers matter.

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