Recognify Life Sciences to Commence Phase 2a Study in Cognitive Impairment Associated with Schizophrenia

NEW YORK, April 6, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Recognify Life Sciences, Inc. (Recognify), an atai Life Sciences (atai) platform company focused on developing treatments for cognitive impairment with initial efforts targeting Cognitive Impairment Associated with Schizophrenia (CIAS), today announced it has initiated a Phase 2a study for its lead compound RL-007, after receiving IND clearance from the Food and Drug Administration to commence clinical trials in the United States in this indication.

Schizophrenia is a mental health disorder primarily characterized by hallucinations, delusions, and disordered thinking. This condition effects over 21 million people globally and approximately 2.4 million people in the United States, with around 300,000 new cases being diagnosed each year in the US. Cognitive deficits are frequently present in patients diagnosed with schizophrenia, and such deficits contribute to the marked disability associated with this condition. There are presently no effective treatment options for CIAS.

The Phase 2a study is a single-arm, multiple dose design in patients who exhibit CIAS, and it evaluates the effects of the drug on safety and tolerability, electroencephalograms and cognition. This study will provide the first data sets for RL-007 in CIAS patients and enable Recognify to progress the product towards a Phase 2b efficacy study in this area of high medical need.

"In a treatment landscape with no effective options, we are determined to progress RL-007 for the treatment of CIAS.  We believe that the compound has great potential in CIAS, based upon the promising pro-cognitive profile demonstrated in previous preclinical and clinical studies," said Florian Brand, CEO and co-founder of atai.

"RL-007 is a unique asset that we believe has the potential to bring significant benefit to CIAS patients. We are focused on rapidly executing a series of high-quality studies to understand the utility of the compound in CIAS and clearly demonstrate the cognitive enhancing effects in these patients," said Matt Pando, PhD, CEO and co-founder of Recognify. "This study is the first step towards bringing an effective treatment option to CIAS patients."

About Recognify Life Sciences, Inc.
Recognify Life Sciences is a biotech company leveraging a Phase 2 ready asset to treat Cognitive Impairment Associated with Schizophrenia (CIAS). Recognify's mission is to provide pro-cognitive treatments solutions to mental health disorders, with a primary focus on schizophrenia. The company operates as part of the atai Life Sciences platform.

About atai Life Sciences
atai is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company aiming to transform the treatment of mental health disorders. atai was founded in 2018 as a response to the significant unmet need and lack of innovation in the mental health treatment landscape. atai is dedicated to acquiring, incubating and efficiently developing innovative therapeutics to treat depression, anxiety, addiction, and other mental health disorders. atai's business model combines funding, technology, scientific and regulatory expertise with a focus on psychedelic therapy and other drugs with differentiated safety profiles and therapeutic potential. By pooling resources and best practices, atai aims to responsibly accelerate the development of new medicines across its companies, seeking to effectively treat and ultimately heal mental health disorders. atai's mission is to bridge the gap between what the mental healthcare system currently provides and what patients need. atai is headquartered in Berlin, with offices in New York. For more information, please visit www.atai.life.

Investor Contact:
Greg Weaver
atai – Chief Financial Officer
Email: [email protected]

Media Contact:
Anne Donohoe
KCSA Strategic Communications
Phone: +1 (212) 896-1265
Email: [email protected]

SOURCE atai Life Sciences