ACW Alzheimers pivotal trial completes last patient visit
Released
Released
Announcement PDF
Actinogen Medical Limited ACN 086 778 476
Suite 901, Level 9, 109 Pitt Street, Sydney NSW 2000
+61 2 8964 7401 | actinogen.com.au
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ASX ANNOUNCEMENT
Actinogen XanaMIA pivotal Alzheimer’s disease trial completes final patient visit,
confirming topline results remain on track for November
Sydney, 23 September 2026. Actinogen Medical ASX: ACW (“ACW” or “the Company”) is pleased to
announce that following the final trial participant visit yesterday in the USA, the Company can now confirm that
topline results for the XanaMIA phase 2b/3 Alzheimer’s disease (AD) clinical trial remain on track for November
this year.
Highlights of the XanaMIA trial of oral Xanamem® are:
1. Xanamem (emestedastat) is a promising, oral enzyme inhibitor designed to control elevated levels of
the “stress hormone” cortisol in the brain, which are associated with the onset and progression of AD
2. XanaMIA is designed as a randomized (1:1), double-blind, placebo-controlled pivotal trial comparing
Xanamem 10 mg to placebo treatment over 36 weeks
3. Following the randomized phase of the trial all participants may enrol in an open-label extension phase
where they receive Xanamem 10 mg
4. The trial has now completed all patient visits with 247 participants enrolled in both Australia (45%) and
the US (55%)
5. Selecting participants with elevated pTau181 is a key feature of the trial, using a clinically validated
blood test instead of more complex methods such as amyloid brain scans or cerebrospinal fluid
biomarkers to diagnose AD
6. Elevated pTau181 selects for participants with a more progressive disease course, increasing the
trial’s power to detect a treatment effect for Xanamem over 36 weeks and replicating the diagnostic
profile of the phase 2a patient population where a large treatment benefit for Xanamem was seen
(Taylor et al. 2024)
7. As reported earlier in the year, enrolled participants have baseline clinical, genetic and laboratory
characteristics similar to those reported in other trials of patients with mild to moderate AD:
a. Average age of 75 years
b. 49% female
c. 66% ApoE4 carriers (main AD genetic risk factor)
d. Mean (SD) pTau181 2.6 (1.3) pg/mL
e. Mean (SD) CDR-SB 4.3 (2.0) points.
8. The trial will report topline, final results in November.
Dr Dana Hilt, Actinogen CMO, commented:
“Xanamem is a unique oral therapy with the potential to become a transformational treatment option for
patients and their families living with Alzheimer’s disease. Our key focus is to finalise high-quality data from
the XanaMIA pivotal trial for release in November while planning streamlined pathways to the fastest possible
regulatory approvals for Xanamem.”
View this announcement on our InvestorHub: https://investors.actinogen.com.au/link/e9BXBr
®
Xanamem is a registered trademark of Actinogen Medical Limited
Actinogen Medical Limited ACN 086 778 476
Suite 901, Level 9, 109 Pitt Street, Sydney NSW 2000
+61 2 8964 7401 | actinogen.com.au
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ENDS
Investors Media
Dr Steven Gourlay Michael Roberts George Hazim
CEO & Managing Director Communications Media & Public Affairs Australia
P: +61 2 8964 7401 M: +61 423 866 231 M: +61 417 516 262
E. steven.gourlay@actinogen.com.au E. michael.roberts@actinogen.com.au E: georgehazim@mediaaffairs.com.au
Announcement authorised by the Board of Actinogen Medical Limited
About Actinogen Medical
Actinogen Medical (ACW) is an ASX-listed, biotechnology company developing a novel therapy for neurological and
neuropsychiatric diseases associated with dysregulated brain cortisol. There is a strong association between cortisol and
detrimental changes in the brain, affecting cognitive function, harm to brain cells and long-term cognitive health.
Cognitive function means how a person understands, remembers and thinks clearly. Cognitive functions include memory,
attention, reasoning, awareness and decision-making.
Actinogen is currently developing its lead compound, Xanamem, as a promising new therapy for Alzheimer’s Disease. It
has also conducted a phase 2 trial in patients with cognitive impairment and depression and may study Fragile X Syndrome
and other neurological and psychiatric diseases in the future. Reducing cortisol inside brain cells could have a positive
impact in these and many other diseases. The cognitive dysfunction, behavioural abnormalities, and neuropsychological
burden associated with these conditions is debilitating for patients, and there is a substantial unmet medical need for new
and improved treatments.
Clinical Trials
The XanaMIA Phase 2b/3 Alzheimer’s disease trial is a double-blind, 36-week treatment, placebo-controlled, parallel
group design trial in 247 patients with mild to moderate AD and progressive disease, determined by clinical criteria and
confirmed by an elevated level of the pTau181 protein biomarker in blood. Patients receive Xanamem 10 mg or placebo,
once daily, and its ability to slow progression of Alzheimer’s disease is assessed with a variety of endpoints. The primary
endpoint of the trial is the internationally-recognized CDR-SB (Clinical Dementia Rating scale – Sum of Boxes). The trial
is being conducted in Australia and the US and is now closed to participant recruitment. It has passed an independent
Data Monitoring Committee safety and efficacy futility review and final topline results are expected in November 2026.
The XanaMIA-OLE Alzheimer’s disease open-label extension is an open-label phase of up to 25 months treatment
where all participants will receive active Xanamem 10 mg once daily. The trial evaluates safety and a limited number of
efficacy endpoints such as the CDR-SB. The trial commenced in March 2026 and is open to all former and current
participants in the XanaMIA Phase 2b/3 trial.
The XanaCIDD Phase 2a depression trial was a double-blind, six-week proof-of-concept, placebo-controlled, parallel
group design trial in 167 patients with moderate, treatment-resistant depression and a degree of baseline cognitive
impairment. Participants were evenly randomized to receive Xanamem 10 mg once daily or placebo, in most cases in
addition to their existing antidepressant therapy, and effects on cognition and depression were assessed. Trial results were
reported in August 2024 and showed clinically and statistically significant benefits on depression symptoms with positive
effects on the MADRS scale (a validated scale of depression symptom measurement) and the PGI-S (a valid patient
reported assessment of depression severity). Cognition improved markedly and to a similar extent in both Xanamem and
placebo groups. The peer-reviewed publication relating to this trial can be accessed for free via this link:
https://tinyurl.com/ckm63z63.
About Xanamem (emestedastat)
Xanamem’s novel mechanism is to control elevated levels of cortisol (aka the “stress hormone”) in the brain through the
inhibition of the cortisol synthesis enzyme, 11β-HSD1, without affecting production of cortisol by the adrenal glands which
Actinogen Medical Limited ACN 086 778 476
Suite 901, Level 9, 109 Pitt Street, Sydney NSW 2000
+61 2 8964 7401 | actinogen.com.au
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is essential for the body’s normal functioning. Xanamem is a first-in-class, once-a-day pill designed to deliver high levels
of cortisol control in key areas of the brain related to Alzheimer’s and other diseases such as the hippocampus and frontal
cortex. To view Xanamem’s two-minute Mechanism of Action animation, click here.
Chronically elevated cortisol is associated with progression in Alzheimer’s Disease and excess cortisol is known to be
toxic to brain cells. Cortisol itself is also associated with depressive symptoms and when targeted via other mechanisms
has shown some promise in prior clinical trials. The recent XanaCIDD trial demonstrated clinically and sometimes
statistically significant benefits on depressive symptoms, further validating the cortisol control mechanism for the
Xanamem 10 mg oral daily dose.
The Company has studied 11β-HSD1 inhibition by Xanamem in more than 500 volunteers and patients in eight clinical
trials. Xanamem has a promising safety profile and has demonstrated clinical activity in patients with depression, patients
with biomarker-positive Alzheimer’s disease and cognitively normal volunteers. High levels of target engagement in the
brain with doses as low as 5 mg daily have been demonstrated in a human PET imaging study.
Xanamem is an investigational product and is not approved for use outside of a clinical trial by the FDA or by any global
regulatory authority. Xanamem® is a trademark of Actinogen Medical.
Disclaimer
This announcement and attachments may contain certain "forward-looking statements" that are not historical facts; are
based on subjective estimates, assumptions and qualifications; and relate to circumstances and events that have not taken
place and may not take place. Such forward looking statements should be considered “at-risk statements” - not to be relied
upon as they are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors (such as significant business,
economic and competitive uncertainties / contingencies and regulatory and clinical development risks, future outcomes
and uncertainties) that may lead to actual results being materially different from any forward looking statement or the
performance expressed or implied by such forward looking statements. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on
these forward-looking statements that speak only as of the date hereof. Actinogen Medical does not undertake any
obligation to revise such statements to reflect events or any change in circumstances arising after the date hereof, or to
reflect the occurrence of or non-occurrence of any future events. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future
performance. Actinogen Medical does not make any guarantee, representation or warranty as to the likelihood of
achievement or reasonableness of any forward-looking statements and there can be no assurance or guarantee that any
forward-looking statements will be realised.
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