Axsome Therapeutics Inc. won U.S. FDA approval for Auvelity (AXS-05) to treat Alzheimer’s disease agitation, a condition that affects up to three-quarters of patients, gaining access to a $1 billion-plus market and a clean label that counters the boxed warning of a competitor. The agency accepted the supplemental NDA under priority review on Dec. 31, 2025, and the breakthrough therapy approval, specifically for agitation associated with dementia due to Alzheimer’s disease, came on the April 30, 2026, PDUFA date.
Axsome Therapeutics Inc.’s AXS-05 (dextromethorphan + bupropion) has notched another success by hitting its phase III primary endpoint in treating a notoriously difficult Alzheimer’s disease (AD) indication when compared to placebo. Newly released data from the Accord study showed AXS-05, an oral, NMDA receptor antagonist with multimodal activity, statistically significantly delayed time to relapse of AD agitation vs. placebo (p=0.014), which was the primary endpoint.
Axsome Therapeutics Inc. and the U.S. FDA appear to be working out their differences. The company said it received the proposed labeling from the agency for AXS-05 (dextromethorphan + bupropion), an oral NMDA receptor antagonist with multimodal activity, for treating major depressive disorder.
After August 2021 news from the U.S. FDA of deficiencies in the NDA that Axsome Therapeutics Inc. submitted for AXS-05 in major depressive disorder (MDD), word was especially welcome April 19 that the firm has come to an agreement with the agency with regard to post-marketing requirements. Meanwhile, another player in MDD, Relmada Therapeutics Inc., is due to report phase III data with REL-1017 (esmethadone) around the middle of this year.
