ANAVEX: Phase 2B/3 Study Met Primary, Key Secondary Endpoints, Reduction of Clinical Decline in Early Alzheimer’s

 

• Robust, Statistically Significant and Clinically Meaningful Absolute Improvement in Cognitive Function as Measured by ADAS-Cog and ADCS-ADL
  

• Key Secondary Endpoint CDR-SB Also Met, Demonstrating Statistically Significant Results

• Plan to Meet with Regulatory Authorities to Determine Next Steps
  

Anavex Life Sciences Corp. (“Anavex” or the “Company”) (Nasdaq: AVXL), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing differentiated therapeutics for the treatment of neurodegenerative and neurodevelopmental disorders including Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, Rett syndrome and other central nervous system (CNS) disorders, today announced positive topline results from its Phase 2b/3 ANAVEX®2-73-AD-004 clinical trial of oral ANAVEX®2-73 (blarcamesine) for the treatment of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) due to Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and mild AD (collectively known as early AD). ANAVEX®2-73 met the primary endpoints ADAS-Cog1 and ADCS-ADL2 and key secondary endpoint CDR-SB3 with statistically significant results. Next step, in light of this data, is meeting with regulatory authorities to discuss this data in the context of ongoing development with an aim to bring this therapy to patients in Europe, Asia-Pacific, and the U.S.

ANAVEX®2-73 (blarcamesine) is an orally available, small-molecule activator of the sigma-1 receptor (SIGMAR1), which, data suggest, is pivotal to restoring neural cell homeostasis and promoting neuroplasticity.4

ANAVEX®2-73-AD-004 was a randomized, double-blind, multicenter, placebo-controlled 509 patient Phase 2b/3 study (randomized 1:1:1 to mid or high dose of ANAVEX®2-73 or placebo), for the treatment of early Alzheimer’s disease over 48 weeks. Top line data will be presented later today in the late breaking oral communication presentation at the Clinical Trials on Alzheimer’s Disease (CTAD) Congress 2022, December 1, 2022, at 4:30pm PT in San Francisco, CA. Further analysis of the data remains ongoing, and the Company plans to submit the data for publication in a peer-reviewed medical journal. The open-label extension study ATTENTION-AD will continue to follow participants over a 96 week period.

ANAVEX®2-73 treatment met the primary endpoints and reduced clinical decline on the global cognitive and functional scales over 48 weeks in the analysis of the Intent-to-treat (ITT) population.

ANAVEX®2-73 demonstrated visible improvement in patients with Alzheimer’s disease. Patients treated with ANAVEX®2-73 were 84% more likely, to have improved cognition by ADAS-Cog score change of -0.50 points or better from baseline to end of treatment than patients on placebo, Odds Ratio = 1.84 (p = 0.015). On average, patients, who improved cognitively with ANAVEX®2-73 treatment, improved by ADAS-Cog cognition score of -4.03 points. ANAVEX®2-73 treatment was 167% more likely to improve function compared with placebo, at a clinically meaningful improvement of ADCS-ADL score change of +3.5 points or better, Odds Ratio = 2.67 (p=0.0255). This reflects a robust improved and clinically meaningful outcome in cognition and function from baseline.
Additionally, treatment with ANAVEX®2-73 statistically significantly reduced cognitive decline, measured with ADAS-Cog, compared to placebo at end of treatment by 45%, representing a treatment difference in mean score change of -1.85 points (p=0.033).

ANAVEX®2-73 treatment also met the secondary endpoint of reduction in clinical decline of cognition and function assessed by the Clinical Dementia Rating Scale Sum of Boxes (CDR-SB) compared to placebo, by a treatment difference in mean score change of -0.42 points (p=0.040), representing 27% reduction in the ITT population.

ANAVEX®2-73 (blarcamesine) was generally safe and well tolerated. The incidence of treatment emergent adverse events (TEAEs) was similar in the active and placebo arms with dizziness being the most common TEAE. TEAEs ≥7.5% threshold were predominantly mild or moderate. No clinically significant changes in vital signs, laboratory values and ECG parameters in active and placebo arms were observed. Safety findings in the study were consistent with the known safety profile of ANAVEX®2-73.

In addition to safety and efficacy demonstrated on the primary and key secondary endpoints, a pre-specified analysis of patients without SIGMAR1 gene mutation provides further confidence of the robustness of the SIGMAR1 activation in the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. Approximately 80% of the total worldwide population lack a SIGMAR1 gene mutation.5 ANAVEX®2-73 was more efficacious in this pre-specified population. This effect is consistent with prior clinical trials of ANAVEX®2-73.6

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