The placebo effect of A-273 is so good that all patients signed up to continue trialing it for 104 additional weeks. That counts for something.
Bottom line, whether the data appears ambiguous or the trial size is too small, bla, bla, bla. There is no denying that most, if not all, of the patients in the Aussie trial experienced benefit, playing golf, painting, telling jokes, sleeping better, etc. etc., to put themselves through the hassle of extending.
If a placebo works that well, I want some....
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NEW YORK, NY – March 10, 2016 – Anavex Life Sciences Corp. (“Anavex” or the “Company”) (Nasdaq: AVXL) today announced that the Company has received the approval from the Ethics Committee in Australia to extend the ongoing Phase 2a Alzheimer’s trial, which had been requested by patients and their caregivers. The trial extension is designed to allow participants who complete 52 weeks in PART B to roll-over into a new trial and continue taking ANAVEX 2-73 for an additional 104 weeks, providing an opportunity to gather extended safety and efficacy data. The trial is independent of the Company’s planned larger Phase 2/3 double-blinded, placebo-controlled study of ANAVEX 2-73 in Alzheimer’s disease.
“We are receiving continued positive feedback about the effects of ANAVEX 2-73 from our study participants and their caregivers,” said Associate Professor Stephen Macfarlane, FRANZCP, Director of Aged Psychiatry at Alfred Health and the Principal Investigator of the study. “In addition to the measured cognitive and functional benefits witnessed so far, an overall improvement in mood and decrease in agitation has been anecdotally reported. We believe that extending the study will lead us to an increased understanding of the long-term effects of ANAVEX 2-73.”
