Anavex 2-73 (blarcamesine) for Parkinson’s disease

Last updated Sept. 10, 2025, by Andrea Lobo, PhD
Fact-checked by Ana de Barros, PhD

What is Anavex 2-73 for Parkinson’s disease?

Anavex 2-73, also known as blarcamesine, is an experimental oral treatment that Anavex Life Sciences is developing to treat Parkinson’s disease dementia and other neurological conditions.

Parkinson’s disease is caused by the dysfunction and progressive death of dopaminergic neurons, the nerve cells in the brain responsible for producing dopamine, a signaling molecule essential for motor control.

The loss of these neurons disrupts dopamine signaling, leading to the disease’s hallmark motor symptoms, such as tremors, muscle rigidity, or slowness of movement.

Beyond motor impairment, many patients also experience nonmotor symptoms, including sleep disturbances, mood disorders, and cognitive decline. In later stages, cognitive issues can progress to Parkinson’s disease dementia, a condition marked by significant impairments in memory, attention, and in problem-solving and visuospatial abilities, which profoundly affect quality of life and independence.

Anavex 2-73 is an oral small-molecule activator of a brain protein called sigma-1 receptor (SIGMAR1), which is reduced in people with Parkinson’s and other neurological conditions. The treatment, intended to be taken as an oral capsule once daily, is designed to help restore nerve cell health by reducing abnormal protein folding, reducing inflammation, and improving the function of mitochondria, the cells’ powerhouses.

While Anavex 2-7 is being developed for people with Parkinson’s disease dementia, the company also intends to explore its potential in those with Parkinson’s disease without dementia.

Therapy snapshot

How will Anavex 2-73 be administered?

In clinical trials testing Anavex 2-73 in people with Parkinson’s disease, the treatment was administered as oral capsules at two dose levels — 30 or 50 mg — taken once daily.

Anavex 2-73 in clinical trials

The safety, tolerability, and efficacy of Anavex 2-73 were investigated in a Phase 2 trial (NCT03774459) involving 132 people with Parkinson’s disease dementia. The trial tested the therapy against a placebo for 14 weeks, or about 3.5 months, after which patients could enroll in an open-label extension where all received the treatment.

Compared to a placebo, Anavex 2-73 led to clinically meaningful improvements in cognitive skills and reduced REM sleep behavior disorder, a condition characterized by physically acting out dreams, which is associated with greater cognitive impairment and a higher risk of dementia.

Benefits were also observed in a reduction of motor symptoms and were tied to a rise in SIGMAR1 levels.

Results from the open-label extension (NCT04575259) study, where all the participants received the treatment for up to a year, demonstrated similar treatment benefits to those in the original Phase 2 study. Anavex 2-73 was also found to be generally safe and tolerated well.

Anavex 2-73 side effects

Safety findings in people with Parkinson’s who participated in the Phase 2 trial were consistent with the known safety profile of Anavex 2-73 observed in trials for other neurological conditions. Reported side effects were mild or moderate in severity and mainly included dizziness. No serious side effects have been observed so far.

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