MALVERN, Pa., Jan. 30, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Annovis Bio, Inc. (NYSE: ANVS), a clinical-stage drug platform company developing novel therapies for neurodegenerative diseases, announced the filing of a patent application covering the use of buntanetap and its analogues for the treatment of neuropsychiatric indications. This application follows the U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/440,890 which was filed on January 24, 2023.

The patent application titled “Treatment of Mental Illness via Administration of Buntanetap and Analogues Thereof” addresses methods for treating, inhibiting, reducing, slowing, or delaying onset of mental illnesses by administration of buntanetap or its pharmaceutically acceptable salts. Buntanetap can be used alone or synergistically with effective quantities of antipsychotic agents, antidepressant agents, hallucinogenic agents, or combinations thereof.

This patent application addresses mental illnesses such as autism, attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder, bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder, anxiety, and schizophrenia, which have been shown to share similar pathological abnormalities with certain neurodegenerative diseases and include disruptions in synthesis of neurotoxic proteins, impairment of axonal transport, inflammation, and nerve cell death. Through its ability to target these mechanisms, buntanetap showed statistically significant improvements in obsessive compulsive behavior (Marble Burying Test), anxiety (Elevated Plus Maze) and fear (Fear Conditioning Test) in preclinical studies in mice.

“The ability of buntanetap to inhibit a wide range of neurotoxic proteins, as shown in our Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s studies, is associated with improved mental health which opens new avenues for delaying or treating certain mental conditions," said Maria L. Maccecchini, Ph.D., Founder, President, and CEO of Annovis. “The filing of this patent application serves as a robust reinforcement of our intellectual property portfolio, bolstering our mission to bring therapeutic solutions for brain-related disorders to market, which now also include mental illness in addition to neurodegeneration diseases.”

Current patents and patent applications at Annovis Bio cover the use of buntanetap for chronic and acute neurodegenerative diseases, its mechanism of action, and a novel composition of matter for a polymorph of buntanetap.

About Buntanetap
Buntanetap (formerly known as Posiphen or ANVS401) attacks neurodegeneration by reducing multiple neurotoxic proteins, thereby improving synaptic transmission and axonal transport, which is the information highway of the nerve cell. Dysfunction of synaptic transmission and axonal transport has been shown to be the cause of nerve cell degeneration and ultimately death. Unlike other PD drugs in development which attempt to remove only one toxic protein, buntanetap inhibits several toxic proteins before they can form, thereby preventing the formation of all the major neurotoxic proteins responsible for PD and AD.

About Annovis Bio, Inc.
Headquartered in Malvern, Pennsylvania, Annovis Bio, Inc. is a clinical-stage, drug platform company addressing neurodegeneration, such as Alzheimer’s Disease (AD), Parkinson’s Disease (PD), and other chronic neurodegenerative diseases. It is believed to be the only company developing a drug for both AD and PD designed to inhibit more than one neurotoxic protein to restore axonal and synaptic activity. By improving brain function, the company’s goal is to treat memory loss and dementia associated with AD as well as body and brain dysfunction associated with PD. For more information on Annovis Bio, please visit the Company's website www.annovisbio.com and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains "forward-looking" statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. All statements other than statements of historical fact are statements that could be deemed forward-looking statements. The Company advises caution in reliance on forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements include, without limitation, the Company's plans related to clinical trials. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from those implied by forward-looking statements, including regarding patient enrollment, the effectiveness of Buntanetap and the timing, effectiveness, and anticipated results of the Company's clinical trials evaluating the efficacy, safety, and tolerability of buntanetap. See also additional risk factors set forth in the Company's periodic filings with the SEC, including, but not limited to, those risks and uncertainties listed in the section entitled "Risk Factors," in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q filed with the SEC. All forward-looking statements in this press release are based on information available to the Company as of the date of this filing. The Company expressly disclaims any obligation to update or alter its forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable law.

Investor Contacts:
Maria Maccecchini, Ph.D.
maccecchini@annovisbio.com