Annovis Bio Featured in Avise Analytics Report on Most Promising Alzheimer’s Stocks

Avise Analytics, an institutional microcap research firm serving buy-side and sell-side firms, recently featured Annovis Bio (NYSE American: ANVS) as one of the five most promising Alzheimer’s stocks. Here’s an excerpt from the report:

Alzheimer’s is the sixth leading cause of death in the U.S, a disease that causes irreversible degeneration of the brain cells and affects a person’s cognitive and behavioral abilities such as impaired judgment, deteriorating memory and personality changes with the gradual loss of motor abilities and speech.

According to some compelling statistics made available by Alzheimer’s Association over 5.8 million Americans are affected by this disorder and the numbers will most likely reach 14 million by 2050, with a new diagnosis being made every 65 seconds. The healthcare cost of Alzheimer’s and other Dementia related ailments will be over $290 billion in 2019, these numbers are likely to escalate further to over $1.1 trillion by 2050.

A report by transparency market research predicts that the global market for Alzheimer’s will reach US$6.4 billion by 2025, growing at a CAGR of 7.5%, from US$3.6 billion in 2017. The rise in ageing population, increased awareness about the benefits of combined therapy, a favorable regulatory and government support environment are some of the factors that will contribute to the growth of the market. The economic burden of the disease on not only the patients but also caregivers will act as an impediment for the market. The prohibitive cost of expensive treatment especially in developing nations is another obstacle for growth.

Alzheimer’s is one illness, where innumerable attempts have been made to find a cure with no success. According to a report released by Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) from 1998 to 2017 there have been about 146 failed shots at developing drugs for Alzheimer’s disease. However recent advancements in technology and the discovery of new molecules and combination therapies are offering renewed hope to those suffering from this illness.

In June 2021, Biogen’s ADUHELM™ (aducanumab-avwa), scored an approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), to become the first drug approved after 2003 for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease, which specifically addresses the underlying cause of the disease, by removing amyloid beta from the brains of those afflicted with the condition.

We take a look at some of the other most promising candidates in the pipeline to treat Alzheimer Disease:

Annovis Bio, Inc. (NYSE: ANVS)

Market Cap: $667.63M; Current Share Price: 96.10 USD

Annovis is a clinical-stage biotechnology Company that is developing a pipeline of drugs that target the treatment of Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative diseases through improvement of Axonal Transport. The Company is working on therapeutics for Alzheimer’s disease (AD), Parkinson’s disease (PD), Dementia and Alzheimer’s in Down Syndrome (AD-DS) (granted an orphan drug designation by the FDA).

Annovis’s lead candidate ANVS401, is under clinical development for the treatment of AD-DS, AD and PD and has demonstrated the ability to inhibit neurotoxins and normalize axonal transport in preclinical studies. In addition, the candidate is able to reduce APP/Aβ, tau/phospho-tau and α-synuclein, which are responsible for causing inflammation and cell death. Additionally, ANVS401 was shown to normalize levels of APP, tau and αSYN in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), besides being well-tolerated and safe, in its third Phase 1 clinical study.

In June 2021, Annovio announced preliminary data from a study initiated last year that has demonstrated the potential of ANVS401 to protect nerve cells from death resulting from an infection by gingipains, the virulence factors of Porphyromonas gingivalis (P. gingivalis). The Company intends to explore the possibility of the candidate being used in the treatment of neurological diseases caused due to bacterial and viral infections.

The Company plans to initially focus on AD-DS in Phase 3 and intends to use the orphan status to obtain human data for AD much faster than in a regular AD population. In studies related to trisomic DS animals and nerve cells, the candidate was able to restore and improve axonal transport, reduce APP, tau and phospho-tau and increased levels of BDNF (a neurotrophic factor), leading to restored memory and learning and returned the brain to homeostasis.

ANVS401 has also been evaluated in mice with Parkinson’s disease and treatment with the candidate has been able to lower aSYN in the gut and in the brain and fully normalizes colonic motility.

The Company’s pipeline also consists of ANVS405, an injectable drug for protecting the brain from TBI and/or stroke in cases of acute brain/head trauma.  The development of the candidate is funded by the US Army and the Company intends to apply for further grants for its development. Furthermore, Annovis is also developing ANVS301, intended for the treatment of advanced AD and Dementia, which is currently undergoing a Phase 1 clinical trial being conducted and sponsored by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Annovio is currently engaged in a Phase 2a study in AD patients in collaboration with the Alzheimer’s Disease Cooperative Study (ADCS) and a Phase 2a study in AD and PD Patients.

The Company has reported data from the AD & PD efficacy trial in May 2021 and will soon release the AD & PD marker data in June/July 2021, with the results from the complete study expected to be announced in August 2021. The results from the Phase 2a trial show statistically significant improvement in parameters such as cognition, motor function, WAIS coding and Inflammation in patients with AD and PD.

Annovis is also planning to meet the FDA in the fall of 2021 to discuss data from the AD and PD study along with data from chronic toxicology in rats and dogs.

SOURCE: https://www.aviseanalytics.com/5-most-promising-alzheimers-disease-stock/