Anavex Life Sciences to Initiate Phase 2 Study of ANAVEX®2-73 in Parkinson’s Disease Dementia

Anavex Life Sciences (Nasdaq:AVXL), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing differentiated therapeutics for the treatment of neurodegenerative and neurodevelopmental diseases including Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, Rett syndrome and other central nervous system (CNS) diseases, today announced that the Company is planning to initiate a Phase 2 clinical trial of lead candidate ANAVEX®2-73 in Parkinson’s Disease Dementia (PDD).

As quoted in the press release:

“As many as 80 percent of people with Parkinson’s will experience Parkinson’s disease dementia and treatment options are limited,” said Christopher U Missling, PhD, President and Chief Executive Officer of Anavex. “We are excited to progress our program to Phase 2, with a focus on the many patients with Parkinson’s disease dementia, and we remain focused on the discovery and development of potential treatments for neurological diseases with unmet needs, including Alzheimer’s disease and Rett syndrome.”

There is a significant unmet medical need in the development of Parkinson’s disease therapies that could be addressed by Anavex’s novel, sigma-1 receptor agonist, ANAVEX®2-73, in Parkinson’s disease patients with dementia, or PDD. The Company is moving forward with a Phase 2 trial with ANAVEX®2-73 in PDD, which will study the effect of the compound on both the cognitive and motor impairment of Parkinson’s disease. The double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled Phase 2 PDD study has been submitted to regulatory authorities in Europe, and pending approval, the Company plans to initiate this clinical trial H2 2018. Additional protocol details will be shared at that point.

Click here to read the full press release.