GlobeNewswire Inc | Jun 24, 2021 05:34PM EDT

June 24, 2021

SAN FRANCISCO, June 24, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Hagens Berman urges Athira Pharma, Inc. (NASDAQ: ATHA) investors with significant losses to submit your losses now. The firm is investigating possible securities law violations related to Athiras recent decision to place its CEO (Leen Kawas) on temporary leave.

Visit:www.hbsslaw.com/investor-fraud/ATHAContact An Attorney Now:ATHA@hbsslaw.com 844-916-0895

Athira Pharma, Inc. (ATHA) Investigation:

The investigation focuses on matters prompting Athiras June 17, 2021 announcement that its board placed Kawas on temporary leave pending its review of Kawas published doctoral research while at Washington State University.

More specifically, healthcare news websites STAT and Endpoints reportedly said that scientific papers from 2011 through 2015 on which Kawas was lead author were recently posted on PubPeer, a website where researchers flag issues in published papers, and that certain posters on the site suggested images in the papers could have been manipulated.

According to Barrons, Stifel analyst Paul Matteis said [w]e really dont know how to process this development and [t]he scientific hypothesis behind Athira came out of the work [that] Dr. Kawas did in graduate school so there is risk here that whatever comes out of this investigation could have clear negative implications for how we/investors view the asset, and/or management credibility.

This news sent the price of Athira shares crashing lower.

Were focused on investors losses and whether Athira and its management manipulated research supportive of the Companys lead product candidate ATH-1017 intended to treat Alzheimers disease, said Reed Kathrein, the Hagens Berman partner leading the investigation.

If you are an Athira investor and have significant losses, or have knowledge that may assist the firms investigation, click here to discuss your legal rights with Hagens Berman.

Whistleblowers: Persons with non-public information regarding Athira should consider their options to help in the investigation or take advantage of the SEC Whistleblower program. Under the new program, whistleblowers who provide original information may receive rewards totaling up to 30 percent of any successful recovery made by the SEC. For more information, call Reed Kathrein at 844-916-0895 or email ATHA@hbsslaw.com.

About Hagens BermanHagens Berman is a national law firm with eight offices in eight cities around the country and over eighty attorneys. The firm represents investors, whistleblowers, workers and consumers in complex litigation. More about the firm and its successes is located at hbsslaw.com. For the latest news visit our newsroom or follow us on Twitter at @classactionlaw.

Contact: Reed Kathrein, 844-916-0895