AVXL Anavex Life Sciences Corporation

Anavex Life Sciences Corp. (“Anavex” or the “Company”) (Nasdaq:AVXL) today announced that the United States Patent and Trademark Office has issued U.S. Patent Number 9,750,746 entitled “ANAVEX 2-73 and certain anticholinesterase inhibitors composition and method for neuroprotection.“ This patent provides the Company with intellectual property protection covering composition of matter for ANAVEX™ 2-73 directed to a novel and synergistic neuroprotective compound combined with donepezil.  The issued patent offers protection through 2033.

“This newly issued patent expands the proprietary position of ANAVEX™ 2-73,” said Christopher U. Missling, PhD, President and Chief Executive Officer of Anavex. “This new patent is a continuation of Anavex’s vigorous pursuit of intellectual property protection for our neuroprotective therapeutics and we look forward to continued progress, including advancing ANAVEX™ 2-73 in clinical studies this year.“

ANAVEX™ 2-73 is an orally available, small-molecule activator of the sigma-1 receptor which, data suggest, is pivotal to restoring neural cell homeostasis and promoting neuroplasticity.1  Donepezil is currently the leading compound for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease in more than 50 countries and is postulated to exert a therapeutic effect by enhancing cholinergic function.  ANAVEX™ 2-73 is to advance this year into a Phase 2/3 clinical trial for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease, as well as other neurodegenerative and neurodevelopmental CNS indications, including the orphan designation Rett syndrome.

1 Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology Volume 964 2017 Sigma Receptors: Their Role in Disease and as Therapeutic Targets

About Alzheimer’s disease

Alzheimer's disease is a progressive, irreversible neurological disease and the most common cause of dementia. In the U.S., there are over five million individuals living with Alzheimer's disease and an estimated 50 million people live with dementia worldwide. Today, there are no commercially available therapies to address the underlying cause of Alzheimer's. According to the World Alzheimer Report 2016, the global cost of dementia was $818 billion in 2015 and is expected to become a trillion-dollar disease by 2018.

About Anavex Life Sciences Corp.

Anavex Life Sciences Corp. (Nasdaq:AVXL) is a publicly traded biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the development of differentiated therapeutics for the treatment of neurodegenerative and neurodevelopmental diseases including Alzheimer’s disease, other central nervous system (CNS) diseases, pain and various types of cancer. Anavex’s lead drug candidate, ANAVEX™ 2-73, recently completed successfully a Phase 2a clinical trial for Alzheimer’s disease. ANAVEX™ 2-73 is an orally available drug candidate that restores cellular homeostasis by targeting sigma-1 and muscarinic receptors. Preclinical studies demonstrated its potential to halt and/or reverse the course of Alzheimer’s disease. It has also exhibited anticonvulsant, anti-amnesic, neuroprotective and anti-depressant properties in animal models, indicating its potential to treat additional CNS disorders, including epilepsy. The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research has awarded Anavex a research grant to develop ANAVEX™ 2-73 for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease to fully fund a preclinical study, which could justify moving ANAVEXTM 2-73 into a Parkinson’s disease clinical trial. ANAVEX™ 3-71, also targeting sigma-1 and M1 muscarinic receptors, is a promising preclinical drug candidate demonstrating disease modifications against the major Alzheimer’s hallmarks in transgenic (3xTg-AD) mice, including cognitive deficits, amyloid and tau pathologies, and also with beneficial effects on neuroinflammation and mitochondrial dysfunctions. Further information is available at www.anavex.com. You can also connect with the company on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

Forward-Looking Statements

Statements in this press release that are not strictly historical in nature are forward-looking statements. These statements are only predictions based on current information and expectations and involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Actual events or results may differ materially from those projected in any of such statements due to various factors, including the risks set forth in the Company’s most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. All forward-looking statements are qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement and Anavex Life Sciences Corp. undertakes no obligation to revise or update this press release to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof.

For Further Information:

Anavex Life Sciences Corp.
Research & Business Development
Toll-free: 1-844-689-3939
Email:  info@anavex.com

Investors & Media:
Clayton Robertson
The Trout Group
(646) 378-2900
crobertson@troutgroup.com