Company Description
Annexon, Inc. (Nasdaq: ANNX) is a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing therapies for serious neuroinflammatory and classical complement-mediated diseases of the body, brain and eye. According to the company’s public disclosures, Annexon is advancing a late-stage clinical platform of complement inhibitors and targeted immunotherapies intended as first-in-kind treatments for millions of people worldwide living with neuroinflammatory diseases.
Annexon’s scientific approach centers on C1q, described by the company as the initiating molecule of the classical complement pathway, a potent inflammatory cascade that, when misdirected, can cause tissue damage and loss of function in multiple diseases. By targeting C1q and related components of the classical complement pathway, Annexon’s investigational therapies are designed to stop classical complement-driven neuroinflammation at its source and provide meaningful functional benefit.
Therapeutic focus and disease areas
The company states that its pipeline spans three main therapeutic areas: autoimmunity, neurodegeneration and ophthalmology. Across these areas, Annexon is developing drug candidates for serious neuroinflammatory and complement-mediated conditions, including Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS), dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD) with geographic atrophy (GA), and autoimmune diseases such as cold agglutinin disease (CAD). Annexon has highlighted that these diseases can lead to life-threatening complications, loss of independence, or progressive vision loss, and that current treatment options often provide limited benefit or do not directly address underlying neuroinflammation.
Key product candidates and platform
Annexon’s pipeline includes several named investigational therapies built on its complement-focused platform technology:
- Tanruprubart (also referred to as ANX005) – described as the company’s lead investigational therapy and a first-in-class, targeted, rapid-acting antibody designed to block C1q activity in the peripheral and central nervous systems. It is administered intravenously and has been observed, in the company’s GBS studies, to rapidly block C1q function and reduce classical complement-driven inflammation and nerve damage. Annexon is advancing tanruprubart in Guillain-Barré syndrome, an acute neuroinflammatory disease that can cause severe weakness or paralysis and has no approved disease-modifying therapies in the U.S.
- Vonaprument (also referred to as ANX007) – described as a neuroprotective inhibitor of C1q and the classical complement cascade delivered intravitreally for patients with dry AMD with geographic atrophy, a leading cause of blindness that affects millions of people worldwide. Annexon reports that vonaprument has shown protection of photoreceptors in the center of the retina and protection of vision on multiple clinical measures in a Phase 2 trial, and is being evaluated in a pivotal Phase 3 trial (ARCHER II) using best corrected visual acuity 15-letter loss as the primary endpoint.
- ANX1502 – described by the company as a first-in-kind oral C1s inhibitor intended for autoimmune conditions. Annexon reports that ANX1502 is being evaluated in a proof-of-concept study in patients with cold agglutinin disease (CAD), with assessments of pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, complement activity and markers of hemolysis. The company has indicated that objective measurements of clinical activity in CAD may be relevant to a broader set of neuromuscular autoimmune diseases.
In addition to these programs, Annexon’s earlier polygon-based description references ANX009 as a product candidate for systemic autoimmune diseases and characterizes the company as having a pipeline of therapies designed to block C1q and the entire classical complement pathway in a broad set of complement-mediated diseases.
Regulatory and clinical development stage
Annexon describes itself as a clinical-stage or late-stage biopharmaceutical company. Its disclosures highlight multiple registrational or pivotal programs:
- For tanruprubart in GBS, Annexon has reported a landmark Phase 3 study in Southeast Asia and an ongoing open-label FORWARD study in the U.S. and Europe. The company has submitted a Marketing Authorization Application (MAA) to the European Medicines Agency for GBS and has discussed plans for a Biologics License Application (BLA) submission to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration supported by data from the FORWARD trial.
- For vonaprument in GA, Annexon is conducting the global, sham-controlled, double-masked Phase 3 ARCHER II trial, which completed enrollment of hundreds of patients. The company notes that the trial is designed to evaluate protection of vision using a gold-standard visual acuity endpoint and that a global regulatory path has been established with U.S. and European regulators.
- For ANX1502, Annexon is running an open-label proof-of-concept trial in CAD, evaluating drug exposure, complement inhibition and clinical markers of hemolysis.
Across these programs, Annexon emphasizes a focus on both acute and chronic neuroinflammation, with the goal of altering disease course by intervening at the level of classical complement activation.
Corporate profile and listing
Annexon is identified in SEC filings as Annexon, Inc., with its common stock listed on The Nasdaq Stock Market under the ticker symbol ANNX. The company is described in multiple press releases as being based in Brisbane, California. Its sector classification in the provided data is Manufacturing, with an industry designation of Pharmaceutical Preparation Manufacturing, reflecting its focus on biopharmaceutical research and development rather than commercial manufacturing scale details.
Scientific rationale and complement biology
In its public communications, Annexon explains that classical complement-driven neuroinflammation can be a key driver of damage in diseases affecting the nervous system and the eye. C1q is described as the initiating molecule of this pathway. When misdirected, C1q activation can lead to a cascade that damages neurons, synapses, photoreceptors and other tissues. Annexon’s investigational therapies are designed to selectively block C1q or related components upstream in the classical complement pathway, aiming to prevent this cascade and preserve function.
For GBS, Annexon describes the disease as an acute autoantibody and classical complement-mediated attack on peripheral nerves, often occurring after infection in otherwise healthy individuals and progressing rapidly to neuromuscular paralysis. For GA in dry AMD, the company highlights the role of neuroinflammation and complement-mediated damage to retinal cells, including photoreceptors and retinal pigment epithelium, leading to progressive vision loss. For autoimmune conditions such as CAD, Annexon points to complement-mediated hemolysis as a key driver of disease manifestations.
Pipeline breadth and patient impact
Annexon states that its pipeline of targeted investigational drug candidates is designed to address unmet needs for nearly 10 million people worldwide living with serious neuroinflammatory diseases. The company repeatedly notes that there are no approved disease-modifying therapies for GBS in the U.S. and no approved therapies for GA that specifically target preservation of vision, underscoring the unmet medical need in its lead indications. It also highlights the potential for oral complement inhibition with ANX1502 to offer dosing convenience for autoimmune diseases.
Across its communications, Annexon describes its mission as delivering therapies that can help patients with devastating neuroinflammatory diseases “live their best lives,” reflecting a focus on functional outcomes such as recovery of movement in GBS and preservation of vision in GA.
Capital markets activity
Annexon’s SEC filings and press releases indicate active use of the capital markets to fund its clinical programs. The company has conducted underwritten public offerings of common stock and pre-funded warrants under an effective shelf registration statement on Form S-3, and has also amended certain common stock purchase warrants originally issued in 2022 to extend their term and modify exercise terms. These activities are described as supporting the advancement of its late-stage neuroinflammation platform and regulatory filings.
Position within biopharmaceutical industry
Within the broader biopharmaceutical landscape, Annexon’s disclosures position the company as focused on complement biology and neuroinflammation, with a platform that targets classical complement-mediated disease mechanisms across neurology, ophthalmology and autoimmunity. Rather than describing itself in broad generalities, Annexon consistently emphasizes its concentration on C1q, classical complement, and neuroinflammatory disease processes that affect the body, brain and eye.