Pomerantz Law Firm Announces the Filing of a Class Action Against Axsome Therapeutics, Inc. and Certain Officers – AXSM

NEW YORK, May 13, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Pomerantz LLP announces that a class action lawsuit has been filed against Axsome Therapeutics, Inc. (“Axsome” or the “Company”) (NASDAQ: AXSM) and certain of its officers.   The class action, filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, and docketed under 22-cv-03925, is on behalf of a class consisting of all persons and entities other than Defendants that purchased or otherwise acquired Axsome securities between December 30, 2019 and April 22, 2022, both dates inclusive (the “Class Period”), seeking to recover damages caused by Defendants’ violations of the federal securities laws and to pursue remedies under Sections 10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Exchange Act”), and Rule 10b-5 promulgated thereunder, against the Company and certain of its top officials.

If you are a shareholder who purchased or otherwise acquired Axsome securities during the Class Period, you have until July 12, 2022 to ask the Court to appoint you as Lead Plaintiff for the class.  A copy of the Complaint can be obtained at www.pomerantzlaw.com.   To discuss this action, contact Robert S. Willoughby at [email protected] or 888.476.6529 (or 888.4-POMLAW), toll-free, Ext. 7980. Those who inquire by e-mail are encouraged to include their mailing address, telephone number, and the number of shares purchased. 

[Click here for information about joining the class action]

Axsome is a biopharmaceutical company that engages in the development of novel therapies for central nervous system disorders in the United States.  The Company is developing, among other product candidates, AXS-07, a novel, oral, rapidly absorbed, multi-mechanistic, and investigational medicine for the acute treatment of migraine.

Axsome consistently touted AXS-07’s regulatory and commercial prospects in anticipation of the Company’s submission a New Drug Application (“NDA”) to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) for AXS-07 for the acute treatment of migraine (the “AXS-07 NDA”) based on the drug’s positive results in two Phase 3 trials.  However, unbeknownst to investors, the Company’s preparation and eventual submission of the AXS-07 NDA was plagued with chemistry, manufacturing, and control (“CMC”) issues.

The complaint alleges that, throughout the Class Period, Defendants made materially false and misleading statements regarding the Company’s business, operations, and prospects.  Specifically, Defendants made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (i) Axsome’s CMC practices were deficient with respect to AXS-07 and its manufacturing process; (ii) as a result, Axsome was unlikely to submit the AXS-07 NDA on its initially represented timeline; (iii) the foregoing CMC issues remained unresolved at the time that the FDA reviewed the AXS-07 NDA; (iv) accordingly, the FDA was unlikely to approve the AXS-07 NDA; (v) as a result of all the foregoing, Axsome had overstated AXS-07’s regulatory and commercial prospects; and (vi) as a result, the Company’s public statements were materially false and misleading at all relevant times.

On November 5, 2020, Axsome issued a press release reporting the Company’s third quarter 2020 results.  That press release disclosed that the Company “plans to submit the [AXS-07] NDA to the FDA in the first quarter of 2021, versus previous guidance of the fourth quarter of 2020, to allow for inclusion of supplemental manufacturing information to ensure a robust submission package.”

On this news, Axsome’s stock price fell $5.22 per share, or 6.99%, to close at $69.51 per share on November 5, 2020. 

Then, on April 25, 2022, Axsome disclosed in a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission that, “[o]n April 22, 2022, Axsome . . . was informed by the [FDA] that [CMC] issues identified during the FDA’s review of the Company’s [NDA] for its AXS-07 product candidate for the acute treatment of migraine are unresolved.”  That filing also disclosed that “[b]ased upon the time remaining in the NDA review cycle, the Company expects to receive a Complete Response Letter [(‘CRL’)] with respect to this NDA on or about the Prescription Drug User Fee Act target action date of April 30, 2022.”

On this news, Axsome’s stock price fell $8.60 per share, or 21.99%, to close at $30.50 per share on April 25, 2022. 

Finally, on May 2, 2022, Axsome announced that it received a CRL from the FDA regarding the AXS-07 NDA for the acute treatment of migraine.  According to the Company, “[t]he principal reasons given in the CRL relate to [CMC] considerations” including “the need for additional CMC data pertaining to the drug product and manufacturing process.”

Pomerantz LLP, with offices in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Paris, and Tel Aviv, is acknowledged as one of the premier firms in the areas of corporate, securities, and antitrust class litigation. Founded by the late Abraham L. Pomerantz, known as the dean of the class action bar, Pomerantz pioneered the field of securities class actions. Today, more than 85 years later, Pomerantz continues in the tradition he established, fighting for the rights of the victims of securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duty, and corporate misconduct. The Firm has recovered numerous multimillion-dollar damages awards on behalf of class members. See www.pomlaw.com.

CONTACT:
Robert S. Willoughby
Pomerantz LLP
[email protected]
888-476-6529 ext. 7980