Anavex Life Sciences Corp. (Nasdaq: AVXL) announced on May 1, 2025, the successful completion of enrollment in its Phase 2 clinical study evaluating ANAVEX®3-71 for the treatment of schizophrenia. The trial, designated as ANAVEX3-71-SZ-001 (NCT06245213), has enrolled a total of 71 participants across its two-part study design.
The placebo-controlled study consists of Part A, which enrolled 16 participants to investigate multiple ascending doses, and Part B, which enrolled 55 participants for a longer treatment duration. Part A has already been completed with encouraging preliminary safety and electroencephalography (EEG) biomarker results previously reported.
"We are pleased to announce the full enrollment of our ANAVEX3-71-SZ-001 study and would like to thank all the patients and investigators for their participation in this first clinical efficacy trial of ANAVEX®3-71," said Christopher U Missling, PhD, President and Chief Executive Officer of Anavex. "There is a substantial unmet medical need for a drug that can effectively address all symptoms of schizophrenia, and we are hopeful that these results are encouraging for further development of ANAVEX®3-71 for people with schizophrenia."
Novel Mechanism of Action
ANAVEX®3-71 represents a potentially significant advancement in schizophrenia treatment due to its unique dual mechanism of action. The oral drug candidate functions as both a SIGMAR1 receptor agonist and an M1 positive allosteric modulator with agonistic effects. This novel approach offers the potential to address all three symptom domains of schizophrenia without the side effects commonly associated with standard antipsychotic medications.
Current schizophrenia treatments often fail to adequately address the full spectrum of symptoms, which include positive symptoms (hallucinations and delusions), negative symptoms (difficulty enjoying life and withdrawal from others), and cognitive impairment (deficits in memory, concentration, and decision-making).
Addressing a Significant Unmet Need
Schizophrenia affects approximately 24 million people worldwide, including 2.8 million in the United States. The condition is a persistent and often disabling mental illness that impacts how a person thinks, feels, and behaves. People living with schizophrenia frequently struggle to maintain employment, live independently, and manage relationships.
The limitations of current treatment options are substantial. Approximately 34% of people with schizophrenia do not respond to existing therapies, while an additional 50-60% experience only partial improvement in symptoms or suffer from unacceptable side effects.
Part B of the study, which includes more participants and a longer treatment duration than Part A, will provide more comprehensive clinical and biomarker data on the efficacy and safety of ANAVEX®3-71 in individuals with schizophrenia.
Timeline and Expectations
Anavex expects to report top-line data from the Phase 2 study in the second half of 2025. If successful, this trial could position ANAVEX®3-71 as a potential breakthrough therapy for schizophrenia patients who currently have limited effective treatment options.
The company notes that 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
Anavex Life Sciences Corp. is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing innovative treatments for neurological disorders. Beyond schizophrenia, the company is advancing treatments for Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, Rett syndrome, and other central nervous system (CNS) disorders.
The company's lead drug candidate, ANAVEX®2-73 (blarcamesine), has already completed several clinical trials for Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease dementia, and Rett syndrome. Like ANAVEX®3-71, it targets SIGMAR1 receptors and has shown promise in restoring cellular homeostasis.
In preclinical trials, ANAVEX®3-71 has demonstrated beneficial effects on mitochondrial dysfunction and neuroinflammation, as well as disease-modifying activity against the major hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease in transgenic mice models.