Avenue Therapeutics to Present BAER-101 Preclinical Data at American Society for Experimental Neurotherapeutics (ASENT) 2024 Annual Meeting

BAER-101 demonstrated full suppression of seizure activity in SynapCell's GAERS model of absence epilepsy, a proven indicator of efficacy in anti-seizure drug development with high predictability of response in humans

MIAMI, March 11, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Avenue Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATXI) (“Avenue” or the “Company”), a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of therapies for the treatment of neurologic diseases, today announced that Amy Chappell, M.D., FAAN will be presenting preclinical in vivo data evaluating BAER-101 using the SynapCell's Genetic Absence Epilepsy Rat from Strasbourg (“GAERS”) model of epilepsy at the American Society for Experimental Neurotherapeutics (ASENT) 2024 Annual Meeting on Wednesday, March 13, 2024.

The Company's presentation details are as follows:

Title: BAER-101, a Selective Potentiator of α2- and α3-containing GABA_A Receptors, Fully Suppresses Spontaneous Cortical Spike-Wave Discharges in Genetic Absence Epilepsy
Format: Platform Presentation
Session Date/Time: Wednesday, March 13, 2024, from 1:30-3:00pm ET
Location: Regency I

BAER-101 underwent preclinical in vivo evaluation in SynapCell's GAERS model of absence epilepsy. The GAERS model, which is a proven, early, informative indicator of efficacy in anti-seizure drug development with high predictability of response in humans, mimics behavioral, electrophysiological and pharmacological features of human absence seizures. In the model, BAER-101 demonstrated full suppression of seizure activity with a minimal effective dose of 0.3 mg/kg, PO. The effect was fast in onset and stable throughout the duration of testing. The combination of safety and tolerability in hundreds of patients and the preclinical efficacy data support BAER-101’s continued development in a Phase 2a trial.

The Company’s poster at ASENT 2024 will be available on the Publications section of Avenue’s website at https://avenuetx.com/publications/.

About BAER-101
Avenue is developing BAER-101 via its subsidiary Baergic Bio for epilepsy disorders. BAER-101 is a PAM of α2,3 subunit‐containing GABA_A receptors with minimal activity at α1 or α5‐containing receptors, which are believed to mediate many of the issues impacting the medical use of benzodiazepines such as those noted with diazepam use (tolerance, dependence, abuse, sedation and impaired cognition). As a result, BAER-101 may have the potential to treat epilepsy, anxiety and other disorders in which benzodiazepines are currently used, while minimizing the benzodiazepine associated adverse effects. BAER-101 was licensed in from AstraZeneca with a large safety database in over 700 patients and an efficacy signal in a ​subset of patients with anxiety.

About Epilepsy
Absence epilepsy is a form of epileptic syndrome where patients show generalized non-convulsive seizures characterized by a brief unresponsiveness to environmental stimuli and cessation of activity. In human, typical absence seizures are associated with bilateral, synchronous and regular spike-and-wave discharges (“SWD”). SynapCell's world-exclusive model, the GAERS, displays spontaneous SWD and has become the “state of the art” translational a reference model for the past thirty years. Most of the drugs that have been studied in the GAERS model work in focal as well as generalized seizures in humans.

About Avenue Therapeutics 
Avenue Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATXI) is a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of therapies for the treatment of neurologic diseases. It is currently developing three assets including AJ201, a first-in-class asset for spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy, BAER-101, an oral small molecule selective GABA_A α2, α3 receptor positive allosteric modulator for CNS diseases, and IV tramadol, which is in Phase 3 clinical development for the management of acute postoperative pain in adults in a medically supervised healthcare setting. Avenue is headquartered in Miami, FL and was founded by Fortress Biotech, Inc. (Nasdaq: FBIO). For more information, visit www.avenuetx.com.

Forward-Looking Statements 
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Contact:
Jaclyn Jaffe
Avenue Therapeutics, Inc.
(781) 652-4500
[email protected]