Anavex COO departs; options mostly forfeited

Anavex Life Sciences Corp. reported the departure of its Chief Operating Officer, Felix Lauscher, effective May 11, 2026, as part of a broader reorganization of duties following the appointment of Dr. Terrie Kellmeyer as Interim Chief Executive Officer.

Filing Impact

(Moderate)

Filing Sentiment

(Neutral)How Sentiment works

Sentiment and the balance of points

Rhea-AI Sentiment reads the wording of the document, how positive or negative its language is on a 1 to 5 scale. The balance of points shown with the takes weighs what the document actually discloses, so the two can disagree, for example when a trial that missed its main goal is described in upbeat language.

How Sentiment works How the balance works

Form Type

8-K

Rhea-AI Filing Summary

Anavex Life Sciences Corp. reported the departure of its Chief Operating Officer, Felix Lauscher, effective May 11, 2026, as part of a broader reorganization of duties following the appointment of Dr. Terrie Kellmeyer as Interim Chief Executive Officer. Lauscher had served as COO since March 1, 2026.

Under his employment agreement, he received a prorated portion of his $264,000 annual base salary. He had been granted 50,000 stock options; 45,833 were forfeited upon departure, while 4,167 options that vested on March 31, 2026 remain exercisable until August 9, 2026 at $4.69 per share under the company’s Omnibus Incentive Plan. In connection with his departure, he was offered an additional two weeks of compensation at his base salary level in exchange for signing and not revoking a general release.

8-K Event Classification

Item 5.02 — Departure of Directors or Certain Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Certain Officers

1 item

Item 5.02 Departure of Directors or Certain Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Certain Officers Governance

Key personnel changes including departures, elections, or appointments of directors and executive officers.

Key Figures

Annual base salary: $264,000 Stock options granted: 50,000 options Options forfeited: 45,833 options +3 more

6 metrics

Annual base salary $264,000 COO employment agreement

Stock options granted 50,000 options COO equity award

Options forfeited 45,833 options Forfeited upon departure

Options remaining 4,167 options Vested March 31, 2026; still exercisable

Exercise price $4.69 per share Remaining options strike price

Additional compensation Two weeks base salary Offered for general release

Key Terms

Interim Chief Executive Officer, Omnibus Incentive Plan, general release, Item 5.02, +1 more

5 terms

Interim Chief Executive Officer financial

"following the appointment of Dr. Terrie Kellmeyer as the Company’s Interim Chief Executive Officer"

An interim chief executive officer is a temporary leader appointed to run a company while the board searches for a permanent CEO or manages an unexpected departure. Investors pay attention because this person shapes near-term strategy, stability and market confidence—like a substitute driver steering the car until the regular driver returns—and their actions and credibility can influence share price, hiring and major deals.

Omnibus Incentive Plan financial

"in accordance with his award agreement and the Company’s Omnibus Incentive Plan"

An omnibus incentive plan is a single, flexible program a company uses to give employees and executives different types of pay tied to performance — for example stock options, restricted shares, cash bonuses and other awards — all governed by one set of rules. It matters to investors because it determines how many new shares may be created, how leaders are motivated and how much the company will spend on compensation over time; think of it as a master toolbox that affects both costs and the total share supply.

general release financial

"in consideration for the execution (and non-revocation) of a general release he has been offered"

Item 5.02 regulatory

"Item 5.02. Departure of Directors or Certain Officers; Election of Directors;"

Item 5.02 is a specific disclosure category on the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s Form 8‑K that requires public companies to report changes in key personnel and related compensation arrangements. It covers departures and appointments of directors and certain officers, elections of directors, and new or material changes to compensatory agreements for those persons; the company must file a Form 8‑K with the required information and any related exhibits within the SEC’s prescribed reporting timeframe. The item is a rule‑based reporting obligation under U.S. securities law, so its scope and timing follow the SEC’s definitions and deadlines rather than informal usage.

Emerging growth company regulatory

"Emerging growth company"

An emerging growth company is a recently public or smaller public firm that qualifies for temporary, lighter regulatory and disclosure rules to reduce the cost and effort of being public. For investors, it means the company may provide less historical financial detail and face fewer reporting requirements than larger firms, so it can grow more quickly but also carries higher uncertainty—like buying a promising early-stage product with fewer user reviews.

FAQ

AI-generated questions and answers. How Rhea-AI works. Not financial advice.

What executive change did Anavex (AVXL) disclose in this 8-K?

Anavex disclosed that Chief Operating Officer Felix Lauscher departed the company on May 11, 2026. The departure is described as part of a broader reorganization of duties following the appointment of Dr. Terrie Kellmeyer as Interim Chief Executive Officer.

How long did Felix Lauscher serve as COO of Anavex (AVXL)?

Felix Lauscher served as Chief Operating Officer from March 1, 2026, until his departure on May 11, 2026. This represents a relatively short tenure of a little over two months in the COO role at Anavex Life Sciences Corp.

What salary and cash compensation did the departing Anavex (AVXL) COO receive?

Felix Lauscher’s employment agreement provided an annual base salary of $264,000, for which he received a prorated amount for his service period. In connection with his departure, he was also offered an additional two weeks of compensation at his base salary level.

What happened to the Anavex (AVXL) stock options granted to Felix Lauscher?

Lauscher was granted 50,000 stock options as COO. Upon his departure, 45,833 options were immediately forfeited, while 4,167 options that vested on March 31, 2026 remain exercisable until August 9, 2026 at an exercise price of $4.69 per share.

What conditions are tied to the additional severance for the Anavex (AVXL) COO?

The additional two weeks of compensation at base salary level are offered in consideration for Felix Lauscher’s execution and non-revocation of a general release. This means he must sign and not revoke the release to receive the extra payment.

How is the Anavex (AVXL) leadership team changing around this COO departure?

The COO departure is described as part of a broader reorganization of duties following the appointment of Dr. Terrie Kellmeyer as Interim Chief Executive Officer. This indicates leadership responsibilities are being restructured around the new interim CEO.

AI-generated analysis. How Rhea-AI works. Not financial advice.

Understanding 8-K Material Events →

See more from StockTitan in Google Search and AI answers. Adds StockTitan as a preferred source · opens Google

Add on Google

Accepted by SEC EDGAR 05/15/2026 - 04:15 PM EDT

UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 8-K

CURRENT REPORT
Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): May 11, 2026

ANAVEX LIFE SCIENCES CORP.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Nevada	001-37606	98-0608404
(State or other jurisdiction	(Commission	(IRS Employer
of incorporation)	File Number)	Identification No.)

630 5th Avenue, 20th Floor, New York, NY USA 10111

(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip Code)

1-844-689-3939

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions (see General Instruction A.2. below):

☐ Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)

☐ Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a -12)

☐ Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d -2(b))

☐ Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e -4(c))

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Title of Each Class		Trading Symbol(s)		Name of Each Exchange on which Registered
Common Stock, par value $0.001 per share		AVXL		Nasdaq Stock Market LLC

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (§230.405 of this chapter) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (§240.12b-2 of this chapter).

Emerging growth company ☐

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐

Item 5.02. Departure of Directors or Certain Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Certain Officers; Compensatory Arrangements of Certain Officers

Departure of Chief Operating Officer

On May 11, 2026, Felix Lauscher, who had held the title of Chief Operating Officer of Anavex Life Sciences Corp. (the “Company”) since March 1, 2026, departed from the Company as part of a broader reorganization of duties at the Company following the appointment of Dr. Terrie Kellmeyer as the Company’s Interim Chief Executive Officer.

During his tenure as Chief Operating Officer and pursuant to his employment agreement, Mr. Lauscher had an annual base salary of $264,000, of which he received a prorated amount for his period of service. In addition, he was granted 50,000 stock options, of which 45,833 were immediately forfeited upon his departure and 4,167 of which vested on March 31, 2026 and remain exercisable until August 9, 2026 at a price of $4.69 per share in accordance with his award agreement and the Company’s Omnibus Incentive Plan. In connection with his departure, in consideration for the execution (and non-revocation) of a general release he has been offered a further two weeks’ compensation at his base salary level.

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

	ANAVEX LIFE SCIENCES CORP.

	/s/ Sandra Boenisch
	Name: Sandra Boenisch, CPA, CGA
	Title: Principal Financial Officer, Treasurer

Date: May 15, 2026

Source: View Original Filing on SEC EDGAR

Filing Exhibits & Attachments

3 documents