ATH-1017 Archives - Medical Design Sourcing

Athira Pharma shares update on its ACT-AD and LIFT-AD studies of Alzheimer’s candidate ATH-1017

Athira Pharma (NSDQ:ATHA) announced that its lead development candidate, ATH-1017, had balanced baseline characteristics to date in two ongoing late-stage Alzheimer’s studies.

Presenting the data at the 2021 Clinical Trials on Alzheimer’s Disease (CTAD) conference in Boston, the company’s chief medical officer Dr. Hans Moebius said that the baseline characteristics are consistent between the ACT-AD and LIFT-AD studies.

Athira expects topline data from the ACT-AD to be available in the first half of 2022.

ACT-AD is a six-month double-blind Phase 2 trial while LIFT-AD is a six-month double-blind Phase 2/3 study.

ATH-1017 is a subcutaneously delivered small molecule drug that can cross the blood-brain barrier. The drug is designed to improve the activity of the hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) and its receptor, MET. The levels of both HGF and MET tend to be reduced in Alzheimer’s patients.

The company’s Aβ- and tau-…

Athira Pharma CEO steps down in the wake of research misconduct allegations

Athira Pharma (NSDQ:ATHA) saw its stock jump 9.35% in mid-day trading after the company announced that its embattled CEO Leen Kawas was resigning.

Kawas will also give up her seat on the Bothell, Washington–based company’s board.

Facing allegations that she had doctored a series of images in research papers, Leen Kawas was placed on leave in June.

Several papers she co-authored at the Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics received expressions of concern regarding the possibility of manipulated images.

Mark J. Litton

An internal investigation recently concluded that Kawas had doctored images in several research papers she authored or co-authored while at Washington State University. Kawas received a Ph.D. from the university in molecular pharmacology in 2011.

Mark Litton will assume the CEO mantle of Athira. Litton was the company’s former chief operating officer an…

Athira Pharma faces shareholder rights investigations

A growing number of law firms are investigating claims of securities fraud associated with Athira Pharma (NSDQ:ATHA), a clinical-stage biopharma focused on small molecules targeting neurodegeneration. Its lead therapeutic candidate, ATH-1017, targets dementia associated with Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.

Law firms investigating potential securities fraud claims involving the company include the following:

Ademi (Milwaukee). Block & Leviton (Boston). Johnson Fistel (San Diego). Portnoy (Los Angeles). Wolf Popper (New York City).

The Bothell, Wash.–based company’s stock fell 39% on June 18 after announcing it was putting Leen Kawas, the firm’s CEO, on temporary leave.

Its share price had stabilized in mid-day trading, edging up 1% to $11.27. E

arlier this month, Jefferies predicted thath Athira shares would rise as much as 50% after FDA decided to approve the Alzheimer’s drug aducanumab from Biogen (NSDQ:BIIB).

An Athira Pharma spo…