• First marketing authorization submission for blarcamesine

NEW YORK, Nov. 26, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Anavex Life Sciences Corp. (“Anavex” or the “Company”) (Nasdaq: AVXL), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing differentiated therapeutics for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, schizophrenia, neurodevelopmental, neurodegenerative, and rare diseases, including Rett syndrome, and other central nervous system (CNS) diseases, today announced the submission of the blarcamesine (ANAVEX^®2-73) MAA (Marketing Authorization Application) to the European Medicines Agency (EMA). The MAA submission is for the treatment of Alzheimer’s Disease.

Overall, blarcamesine, a small molecule administered orally once daily, demonstrated clinically meaningful improvement over 48 weeks with primary endpoint ADAS-Cog13 score being larger than 2 points.¹ This suggests superior numerical clinical efficacy compared to approved therapies while also slowing neurodegeneration in early AD patients. Blarcamesine’s safety profile indicates not requiring routine MRI monitoring, and the advantage of blarcamesine is that it is a small oral molecule that exerts clinical benefits on cognition and neurodegeneration and could be appealing because of its easy and convenient route of administration and good comparative safety profile.

There are an estimated 7 million people in Europe with Alzheimer’s disease, a number expected to double by 2030, according to the European Brain Council.² The World Health Organization (WHO) estimated the cost in Europe of caring for people with dementia, including Alzheimer's disease, at $439 billion, or $31,144 per person in 2019. That includes hospital care, medicines, diagnostics, informal caregiver time, community services and long-term care facility costs.^3,4

“This MAA submission is the first for oral blarcamesine as we are requesting a review of the Marketing Authorization Application with the aim to move closer to bringing this therapy to patients with Alzheimer’s disease worldwide,” said Juan Carlos Lopez-Talavera, MD, PhD, Head of Research and Development of Anavex. “Blarcamesine’s safety and efficacy profile could represent a novel treatment that could be complementary or an alternative to anti-beta amyloid monoclonal antibody drugs.”

“It’s a remarkable milestone accomplishment and this regulatory submission in the EU represents an important step in our efforts to potentially bring the first oral novel treatment Alzheimer’s disease to the Alzheimer’s disease community,” said Christopher U Missling, PhD, President and Chief Executive Officer of Anavex. “I would like to thank all involved and especially the participating families within our clinical development program, were we have seen that oral blarcamesine has the potential to slow the progression of this relentless and ultimately fatal disease.”

This release discusses investigational uses of an agent in development and is not intended to convey conclusions about efficacy or safety. There is no guarantee that any investigational uses of such product will successfully complete clinical development or gain health authority approval.

About Anavex Life Sciences Corp.

Anavex Life Sciences Corp. (Nasdaq: AVXL) is a publicly traded biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the development of novel therapeutics for the treatment of neurodegenerative, neurodevelopmental, and neuropsychiatric disorders, including Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, schizophrenia, Rett syndrome, and other central nervous system (CNS) diseases, pain, and various types of cancer. Anavex's lead drug candidate, ANAVEX^®2-73 (blarcamesine), has successfully completed a Phase 2a and a Phase 2b/3 clinical trial for Alzheimer's disease, a Phase 2 proof-of-concept study in Parkinson's disease dementia, and both a Phase 2 and a Phase 3 study in adult patients and one Phase 2/3 study in pediatric patients with Rett syndrome. ANAVEX^®2-73 is an orally available drug candidate designed to restore cellular homeostasis by targeting SIGMAR1 and muscarinic receptors. Preclinical studies demonstrated its potential to halt and/or reverse the course of Alzheimer's disease. ANAVEX^®2-73 also exhibited anticonvulsant, anti-amnesic, neuroprotective, and anti-depressant properties in animal models, indicating its potential to treat additional CNS disorders, including epilepsy. The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research previously awarded Anavex a research grant, which fully funded a preclinical study to develop ANAVEX^®2-73 for the treatment of Parkinson's disease. We believe that ANAVEX^®3-71, which targets SIGMAR1 and M1 muscarinic receptors, is a promising clinical stage drug candidate demonstrating disease-modifying activity against the major hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease in transgenic (3xTg-AD) mice, including cognitive deficits, amyloid, and tau pathologies. In preclinical trials, ANAVEX^®3-71 has shown beneficial effects on mitochondrial dysfunction and neuroinflammation. Further information is available at www.anavex.com. You can also connect with the Company on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

Forward-Looking Statements

Statements in this press release that are not strictly historical in nature are forward-looking statements. These statements are only predictions based on current information and expectations and involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Actual events or results may differ materially from those projected in any of such statements due to various factors, including the risks set forth in the Company’s most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. All forward-looking statements are qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement and Anavex Life Sciences Corp. undertakes no obligation to revise or update this press release to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof.

For Further Information:
Anavex Life Sciences Corp.
Research & Business Development
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Investors:
Andrew J. Barwicki
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¹ Muir RT, Hill MD, Black SE, Smith EE. Minimal clinically important difference in Alzheimer's disease: Rapid review. Alzheimers Dement. 2024;20(5):3352-3363. doi:10.1002/alz.13770
² https://www.braincouncil.eu/projects/rethinking-alzheimers-disease/
³ Jönsson L. The personal economic burden of dementia in Europe. Lancet Reg Health Eur. 2022 Jul 25;20:100472. doi: 10.1016/j.lanepe.2022.100472. PMID: 35910037; PMCID: PMC9326307.
⁴ World Health Organization (WHO); 2021. Global status report on the public health response to dementia.