GlobeNewswire Inc | Nov 10, 2021 07:00AM EST

November 10, 2021

NEW YORK, Nov. 10, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Anavex Life Sciences Corp. (Anavex or the Company) (Nasdaq: AVXL), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing differentiated therapeutics for the treatment of neurodegenerative and neurodevelopmental disorders including Alzheimers disease, Parkinsons disease, Rett syndrome and other central nervous system (CNS) diseases, today announced that its President and Chief Executive Officer, Christopher U. Missling, PhD, will join the panel, Exploring the Promise of Novel Therapeutic Approaches, at the Lausanne VIII Workshop on Wednesday, November 17th at 10:00 a.m. EST to 11:00 a.m. EST.

The 2021 Lausanne Workshop for Leaders and Innovators in Alzheimers is the eighth in a series of Lausanne-based annual Alzheimers convenings with a goal to stop Alzheimers by 2025. Over the past seven years, the Workshop has become a highly-curated platform for global Alzheimers stakeholders to identify challenges, set solution paths, measure progress and hold each other accountable to act.

The Lausanne Workshop is organized under the auspices of the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) and supported by The Global CEO Initiative on Alzheimers Disease (CEOi), Alzheimers Disease International (ADI) and World Economic Forum (WEF). It launched in 2014 as a response to the international call to action to stop dementia by 2025.

Click here to register or to learn more about the event.

About Alzheimers Disease

Alzheimers disease is a progressive degenerative brain disorder that gradually destroys a person's memory and ability to learn, reason, make judgments, communicate and carry out daily activities. An estimated 5.7 million Americans currentlyhave Alzheimer's dementia. Alzheimers is the most common cause of dementia among older adults and is estimated to rank as the third leading cause of death for older people in the United States, just behind heart disease and cancer. In 2020, Alzheimer's and other dementias cost the nation $305 billion. By 2050, these costs could rise as high as $1.1 trillion.1 There are currently over 50 million people living with dementia around the world, with numbers expected to increase to nearly 152 million by 2050.2 Almost 10 million new cases of dementia are diagnosed each year worldwide, implying one new case every 3 seconds, and a significant increase in the caregiving burden placed on society and families.3

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 disorders including Alzheimers disease, Parkinsons disease, Rett syndrome and other central nervous system (CNS) diseases, pain, and various types of cancer. Anavexs lead drug candidate, ANAVEX2-73 (blarcamesine), successfully completed a Phase 2a clinical trial for Alzheimers disease and recently a Phase 2 proof-of-concept study in Parkinsons disease dementia and a Phase 2 study in adult patients with Rett syndrome. ANAVEX2-73 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 Alzheimers disease. ANAVEX2-73 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 Parkinsons Research previously awarded Anavex a research grant, which fully funded a preclinical study to develop ANAVEX2-73 for the treatment of Parkinsons disease. ANAVEX3-71, which targets sigma-1 and muscarinic receptors, is a promising clinical stage drug candidate demonstrating disease-modifying activity against the major hallmarks of Alzheimers disease in transgenic (3xTg-AD) mice, including cognitive deficits, amyloid, and tau pathologies. In preclinical trials, ANAVEX3-71 has shown beneficial effects on mitochondrial dysfunction and neuroinflammation. Further information is available at www.anavex.com. You can also connect with the company on Twitter,Facebook, Instagram 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 Companys 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 DevelopmentToll-free: 1-844-689-3939Email: info@anavex.com

Investors:Andrew J. BarwickiInvestor RelationsTel: 516-662-9461Email: andrew@barwicki.com

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1 https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/alzheimers; https://www.alz.org/alzheimers-dementia/facts-figures.2 Alzheimer's Disease International. World Alzheimer Report 2019. https://www.alz.co.uk/research/WorldAlzheimerReport2019.pdf.3 AARP. 2020 Report: Caregiving in the U.S. https://www.aarp.org/content/dam/aarp/ppi/2020/05/full-report-caregiving-in-the-united-states.doi.10.26419-2Fppi.00103.001.pdf.