Cognition Therapeutics Presents Evidence of Zervimesine’s Impact on Neuropsychiatric Symptoms of Dementia with Lewy Bodies at AD/PD 2026
Rhea-AI Summary
Cognition Therapeutics (NASDAQ: CGTX) presented Phase 2 SHIMMER data for zervimesine (CT1812) at AD/PD 2026 (March 17-21, 2026) showing an 86% slowing of decline on NPI-12 versus placebo in dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB).
The analysis showed treatment effects across neuropsychiatric, cognitive, motor, and global domains and reported directionally favorable impacts on cognitive fluctuations, memory, movement, and activities of daily living. The company said it plans development of zervimesine for DLB psychosis following a recent FDA Type C meeting.
Positive
- NPI-12 decline slowed 86% versus placebo in Phase 2 SHIMMER
- Treatment effects observed across neuropsychiatric, cognitive, motor, and global domains
- Company announced plans to develop zervimesine for DLB psychosis after FDA Type C meeting
Negative
- None.
News Market Reaction – CGTX
In the Mar 17 session, CGTX gained 6.48%, reflecting a notable positive market reaction. Argus tracked a peak move of +6.2% during that session. Argus tracked a trough of -3.5% from its starting point during tracking. Our momentum scanner triggered 9 alerts that day, indicating moderate trading interest and price volatility.
Data tracked by StockTitan Argus on the day of publication.
Key Figures
Historical Context
| Date | Event | Sentiment | 24h Move | Catalyst |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 02 | DLB psychosis program | Positive | -2.8% | Company advanced zervimesine toward a registrational DLB psychosis program post FDA feedback. |
| Feb 05 | Expanded access extension | Positive | -2.9% | Expanded access program extended, allowing several additional months of zervimesine treatment. |
| Jan 27 | Type C FDA meeting | Positive | -4.3% | Company completed a Type C FDA meeting on proposed Phase 2b DLB study design and endpoints. |
| Jan 06 | Phase 2 SHIMMER data | Positive | +0.7% | Published Phase 2 SHIMMER results showing safety and favorable effects versus placebo in DLB. |
| Dec 03 | EAP full enrollment | Positive | +11.8% | Reported full enrollment in DLB expanded access program with daily 100 mg oral dosing. |
24h Move is the share-price change in the day after each event; other market factors may also have contributed.
Recent positive DLB updates have often seen mixed-to-negative next-day price reactions, with only two of five events aligning positively with the news tone.
Over the last several months, Cognition Therapeutics has repeatedly highlighted progress for zervimesine (CT1812) in dementia with Lewy bodies. A Dec 03, 2025 update on full enrollment in the expanded access program drove a 11.8% gain, while publication of Phase 2 SHIMMER results on Jan 06, 2026 saw a modest 0.71% rise. Subsequent regulatory and development milestones in January–March 2026, including the Type C FDA meeting and plans for a registrational DLB psychosis program, drew slightly negative price reactions despite constructive narratives, suggesting uneven trading responses to similar clinical and regulatory progress.
Key Terms
phase 2 medical
placebo medical
neuropsychiatric inventory (npi) medical
benzodiazepines medical
u.s. food and drug administration (fda) regulatory
antipsychotics medical
AI-generated analysis. How Rhea-AI works. Not financial advice.
PURCHASE, N.Y., March 17, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Cognition Therapeutics, Inc., (the “Company” or “Cognition”) (NASDAQ: CGTX), a clinical-stage company developing drugs that treat neurodegenerative disorders, presented an analysis from the Phase 2 COG1201 SHIMMER study (NCT05225415) of zervimesine (CT1812) in dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) at the AD/PD™ 2026 Alzheimer's & Parkinson's Diseases Conference. The conference is being conducted March 17-21, 2026 in Copenhagen, Denmark. The analysis focuses on Zervimesine’s treatment effects on the behavioral and psychiatric symptoms most commonly associated with DLB.
“In the Phase 2 ‘SHIMMER’ study, we saw a treatment effect across neuropsychiatric, cognitive, motor, and global function domains with zervimesine treatment compared to placebo,” explained Anthony Caggiano, MD, PhD, Cognition’s CMO. “This effect was particularly robust against DLB’s behavioral and psychiatric symptoms, which have been identified as important to patients and care partners. We’re presenting a breakdown of zervimesine’s effect relative to placebo on the components of the neuropsychiatric index (NPI), which was employed in the Phase 2 study.”
Zervimesine treatment resulted in an
Its unique mechanism should also allow zervimesine to be used in DLB patients who cannot tolerate traditional antipsychotics and benzodiazepines. Some medications, such as haloperidol, are contraindicated in patients with DLB, who may exhibit severe parkinsonism, sedation, and immobility in response. Unlike traditional antipsychotics, zervimesine demonstrated a directionally favorable impact on cognitive fluctuations, memory, movement symptoms, and activities of daily living.
Poster Details:
- Grundman M, Galvin J, Iaci J, et al. Zervimesine Slows Progression of Symptoms in Mild-to-moderate Dementia with Lewy Bodies
- Grundman M, Iaci J, Hendrix S, et al. A Global Statistical Test Approach to Clinical Trials with Zervimesine for Dementia with Lewy Bodies
Posters presented at AD/PD will be available on the Cognition Therapeutics website in accordance with the conference’s embargo policy.
Based on a recent Type C meeting with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the strength of Phase 2 results, the Company recently announced plans to develop zervimesine for the treatment of DLB psychosis. These symptoms include the hallucinations, delusions, agitation, and anxiety that are reported to be extremely unsettling to patients and typically worsen as DLB progresses.
“The data we are presenting at AD/PD demonstrate that zervimesine had a robust impact on the neuropsychiatric symptoms, which are a hallmark of DLB,” concluded Dr. Caggiano. “While antipsychotic medications exist, many can't be used in DLB patients due to a severe and sometimes life-threating sensitivity to these drugs. Zervimesine’s unique mechanism of action may represent a tolerable solution for patients with these burdensome symptoms. We believe that pursuing development of zervimesine for the treatment of DLB’s neuropsychiatric symptoms will meet a critical need for DLB patients.”
Psychosis in DLB
Patients with dementia commonly experience behavioral and psychological symptoms such as aggression, agitation, and depression. As many as
About Cognition Therapeutics:
Cognition Therapeutics, Inc. is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to helping millions of families seeking effective treatments for devastating neurodegenerative diseases through the development of novel, accessible therapies. The company has led pioneering research into the underlying mechanisms of degenerative nerve disorders. Our scientific approach builds on well-established biological pathways and translates across indications in which toxic oligomers drive disease progression, offering potential in dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), Alzheimer’s disease, geographic atrophy, Parkinson’s, among others. The company’s lead candidate, zervimesine (CT1812), is an investigational once-daily oral therapy that has demonstrated promise in Phase 2 clinical trials in DLB and mild-to-moderate Alzheimer’s disease. Backed by nearly
About Zervimesine (CT1812)
Zervimesine (CT1812) is currently being studied in the Phase 2 START Study (NCT05531656) in patients with MCI and early Alzheimer’s disease. Phase 2 clinical studies have been completed in dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), mild-to-moderate Alzheimer’s disease, and geographic atrophy secondary to dry AMD. Based in part on the strong efficacy signals observed in the Phase 2 SHIMMER study in DLB (NCT05225415), the company plans to advance zervimesine into a late-stage clinical trial for people with DLB psychosis. Zervimesine has been generally well tolerated in clinical studies to date.
The USAN Council has adopted zervimesine as the United States Adopted Name (USAN) for CT1812.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements contained in this press release or made during the conference, other than statements of historical facts or statements that relate to present facts or current conditions, including but not limited to, statements regarding our product candidates, including zervimesine (CT1812), and any expected or implied benefits or results, including that initial clinical results observed with respect to zervimesine will be replicated in later trials and our clinical development plans, statements regarding our clinical studies of zervimesine, any analyses of the results therefrom and our expectations regarding data and development programs for zervimesine, are forward-looking statements. These statements, including statements relating to the timing and expected results of our clinical trials involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors that may cause our actual results, performance, or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance, or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terms such as “may,” “might,” “will,” “should,” “expect,” “plan,” “aim,” “seek,” “anticipate,” “could,” “intend,” “target,” “project,” “contemplate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “predict,” “forecast,” “potential” or “continue” or the negative of these terms or other similar expressions. We have based these forward-looking statements largely on our current expectations and projections about future events and financial trends that we believe may affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this press release and are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions, some of which cannot be predicted or quantified and some of which are beyond our control. Factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations include, but are not limited to: competition; our ability to secure new (and retain existing) grant funding; our ability to grow and manage growth, maintain relationships with suppliers and retain our management and key employees; our ability to successfully advance our current and future product candidates through development activities, preclinical studies and clinical trials and costs related thereto; uncertainties inherent in the results of preliminary data, pre-clinical studies and earlier-stage clinical trials being predictive of the results of early or later-stage clinical trials; the timing, scope and likelihood of regulatory filings and approvals, including regulatory approval of our product candidates; changes in applicable laws or regulations; the possibility that we may be adversely affected by other economic, business or competitive factors, including ongoing economic uncertainty; our estimates of expenses and profitability; the evolution of the markets in which we compete; our ability to implement our strategic initiatives and continue to innovate our existing products; our ability to defend our intellectual property; the impacts of ongoing global and regional conflicts on our business, supply chain and labor force; and the risks and uncertainties described more fully in the “Risk Factors” section of our annual and quarterly reports filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission and are available at www.sec.gov. These risks are not exhaustive and we face both known and unknown risks. You should not rely on these forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. The events and circumstances reflected in our forward-looking statements may not be achieved or occur, and actual results could differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Moreover, we operate in a dynamic industry and economy. New risk factors and uncertainties may emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for management to predict all risk factors and uncertainties that we may face. Except as required by applicable law, we do not plan to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements contained herein, whether as a result of any new information, future events, changed circumstances or otherwise.
| Contact Information: Cognition Therapeutics, Inc. info@cogrx.com | Mike Moyer (investors) LifeSci Advisors mmoyer@lifesciadvisors.com |
