Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS) has recommended that Anavex Life Sciences Corp. (NASDAQ: AVXL) stockholders vote in favor of all six of the company's director nominees ahead of its 2026 Annual Meeting, scheduled for September 24, 2026.

In a report issued September 11, 2026, ISS concluded that "the dissident has not made a compelling case for change," referring to a competing slate of nominees put forward by a shareholder identified as PVG. ISS noted that despite seeking a majority board position, PVG "has not presented a detailed go-forward plan."

The six Anavex nominees are Dr. Jiong Ma, Dr. Peter Donhauser, Dr. Axel Paeger, Mr. Gautam Patel, Dr. Adrian Senderowicz, and Dr. Claus van der Velden.

In its report, ISS observed that the Anavex board had taken steps following a negative opinion from the European Medicines Agency (EMA), including the removal of the former chief executive officer. ISS stated that the board "assumed a more active role" after the EMA opinion and has since appointed an interim CEO while moving toward hiring a permanent CEO, CFO, and chief medical officer. The report also noted that half of the board would be composed of new members if the nominees are elected.

ISS further stated that "starting with the formation of the special committee and subsequent termination of the former CEO, the board appears to have acted decisively to remedy a situation that it admits was of its own making."

Stockholders of record as of the close of business on July 31, 2026 are entitled to vote at the annual meeting. The information in this article is based on a press release issued by Anavex Life Sciences Corp.