Anavex Life Sciences has released new data from a 48-week extension of its phase 2 study,
highlighting the safety and efficacy of its investigational agent, ANAVEX2-73,
also known as blarcamesine, in treating Parkinson’s disease dementia (PDD).
The study, officially titled ANAVEX2-73-PDD-EP-001, encountered initial delays due to the
COVID-19 pandemic, which resulted in a reduced enrollment rate and a “drug
holiday” for many participants. Despite these challenges, the findings are
promising. Patients who continued treatment into the open-label extension phase
showed significant improvements in their PDD symptoms.
From OLE baseline to week 48, the data indicated a change of –2.25 in the Movement Disorder
Society-Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale (MDS-UPDRS) total score.
Additionally, there was a change of –0.7 in the Clinical Global
Impression-Improvement (CGI-I) score, indicating noticeable symptom
alleviation.
Christopher U. Missling, PhD, president and CEO of Anavex Life Sciences, noted, “The
consistent improvement in clinical symptoms over time during the extension
phase under active ANAVEX2-73 treatment is encouraging. This data suggests that
ANAVEX2-73 may be capable of addressing the urgent unmet global need for
effective treatments for Parkinson’s disease.”
Notably, patients on blarcamesine recorded mean changes of –3.95 in MDS-UPDRS Part III scores and
–2.20 in combined Part II and III scores. These results are consistent with
previously reported data, where high-dose blarcamesine showed an improvement of
–10.98 points on the MDS-UPDRS total score compared to the placebo group.
Due to the Anavex study’s nature and small sample sizes, these promising results should be interpreted
with caution. However, the findings offer hope for patients and caregivers alike.
Anavex Life Sciences plans to use these insights as a foundation for future studies, aiming
to further explore and confirm the therapeutic potential of ANAVEX2-73 in
neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson’s.
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