Anavex Life Sciences has reported encouraging findings from a 48-week
open-label extension of their phase 2 study, ANAVEX2-73-PDD-EP-001, targeting
Parkinson’s disease dementia (PDD). This investigational drug, ANAVEX2-73, also
known as blarcamesine, demonstrated significant improvements in clinical
symptoms, raising hopes for a new treatment option for this challenging condition. 

Despite delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to an average 41-week postponement
at the end of the double-blind period, patients who continued treatment into
the open-label extension phase showed marked improvements. Specifically, the
study noted enhancements in the Movement Disorder Society-Unified Parkinson’s
Disease Rating Scale (MDS-UPDRS) Parts II and III, as well as the Clinical
Global Impression-Improvement (CGI-I) scores. 

Christopher U. Missling, PhD, president and CEO of Anavex
Life Sciences, highlighted the significance of these findings. “It is encouraging that the
patients’ clinical symptoms consistently improved over time during the
extension phase under active ANAVEX2-73 treatment,” he stated. These
results hint at the potential of ANAVEX2-73 to slow or perhaps reverse the
debilitating symptoms associated with Parkinson’s disease dementia. 

In addition to cognitive benefits, the study recorded improvements in other key measures.
Changes in the Montreal Cognitive Assessment and REM Sleep Behavior Disorder
Screening Questionnaire were also noted, suggesting a broader therapeutic
impact of blarcamesine. 

The promising outcomes from this extension study build on previously reported data from the
phase 2 proof-of-concept study. In that earlier trial, patients on high-dose 

ANAVEX2-73 saw significant improvements in MDS-UPDRS total scores compared to the
placebo group. 

While the sample size of the study was small, leading investigators to advise caution in
interpreting the results, the data nevertheless supports continued
investigation. Anavex Life Sciences plans to use these findings to inform their
forthcoming 6-month Parkinson’s disease study, which will further evaluate the
efficacy of ANAVEX2-73. 

In summary, the results from the recent extension study by Anavex Life Sciences bring renewed
hope for those affected by Parkinson’s disease dementia, marking a potential
step forward in addressing this unmet medical need. 

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