Awakn Life Sciences Files Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) Application for the Treatment of Behavioral Addictions

Successful Behavioral Addiction Study Supplied Data for Patent

Toronto, Ontario–(Newsfile Corp. – May 26, 2022) – Awakn Life Sciences Corp. (NEO: AWKN) (OTCQB: AWKNF) (FSE: 954) (‘Awakn’), a biotechnology company, researching, developing, and commercializing therapeutics to treat addiction, announced today the filing of a Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) application for the treatment of behavioral addictions with ketamine and ketamine-assisted psychotherapy. The successful completion of Awakn’s behavioral addictions study was announced last week and the data provided from the study was used in the patent filing. The pilot study investigated ketamine as a potential new treatment approach for Gambling Disorder, Internet Gaming Disorder, Compulsive Sexual Behavior Disorder and Binge Eating Disorder.

The PCT covers all behavioral addictions or any recognized disorder or condition with similar compulsive symptoms to those in the study. If granted, the patent claims would give Awakn exclusive rights to use ketamine and ketamine-assisted therapy for the treatment of behavioral addictions. With no effective pharmacological treatments available globally at present for behavioral addictions, the study results and the patent filing position Awakn at the forefront of the industry at a time when rates of behavioral addictions are increasing at an alarming pace and sufferers have few treatment options which deliver poor outcomes.

The promising results from the pilot study showed a reduction of symptoms for some participants, with some participants no longer meeting the criteria for a diagnosis. Some individuals also showed a reduction of the symptoms of a comorbid psychiatric condition, such as depression or anxiety. The treatment was also well tolerated with no safety concerns.

Awakn CEO, Anthony Tennyson, commented, “Today’s news demonstrates our focus on researching, developing and commercializing therapeutics to treat addiction. A core part of our efforts is to continually strengthen our IP portfolio as we work to bring effective therapies to chronic addiction sufferers in desperate need. To be forging a path to find an effective treatment for such a vast unmet medical need is critical and an effort we are very proud to be a part of.”

Gambling Disorder, Internet Gaming Disorder, and Binge Eating Order are all recognised in the DSM-5, which is a diagnostic tool that serves as the principal authority for psychiatric diagnoses in the US, and affect up to 450 million1, 235 million2 and 100 million3 people respectively. While Compulsive Sexual Behavior Disorder, which is included in the ICD-11, affects up to 350 million4 people. The ICD-11 was developed by the World Health Organization (WHO) and is the global standard for recording health information and causes of death. Current standard of care for all of these conditions is poor.

About Awakn Life Sciences Corp.

Awakn Life Sciences is a biotechnology company, researching, developing, and commercializing combined therapeutics to treat addiction, with a focus on Alcohol Use Disorder. Awakn’s team consists of renowned research experts, world leading chemists, scientists, psychiatrists, and psychologists. Addiction is one of the biggest unmet medical needs of our time, affecting over 20% of the global population and is an industry valued at over $100bn per annum. Awakn is working to disrupt this underperforming industry by advancing the next generation of drugs and therapies to be used in combination, through preclinical research and clinical stage trials.

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Although the Company believes that the expectations expressed in such statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those in the statements. There are certain factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking information. These include, but are not limited to:COVID-19; fluctuations in general macroeconomic conditions; the business plans and strategies of the Company; the ability of the Company to comply with all applicable governmental regulations in a highly regulated business; the inherent risks in investing in target companies or projects which have limited or no operating history and are engaged in activities currently considered illegal in some jurisdictions; changes in laws; limited operating history; reliance on management; requirements for additional financing; competition; fluctuations in securities markets; inconsistent public opinion and perception regarding the medical-use of psychedelic drugs; expectations regarding the size of the addiction market; and regulatory or political change. Readers are cautioned that the foregoing list of factors is not exhaustive of the factors that may affect forward-looking statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements in this news release speak only as of the date of this news release or as of the date or dates specified in such statements.

Investors are cautioned that any such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking information. For more information on the Company, investors are encouraged to review the Company’s public filings on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, other than as required by law.

This news release does not constitute an offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to buy, any securities in the United States. The Company’s and Awakn’s securities have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “U.S. Securities Act”) or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to U.S. Persons unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or an exemption from such registration is available.

Investor Enquiries:
Anthony Tennyson, CEO, Awakn Life Sciences
anthony.tennyson@awaknlifesciences.com

Media Enquiries:
America and Canada: KCSA Strategic Communications
Anne Donohoe
Adonohoe@KCSA.com

Rest of World: ROAD Communications
Paul Jarman / Nora Popova
Awakn@roadcommunications.co.uk

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¹ Problem gambling worldwide: An update and systematic review of empirical research (2000-2015). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5370365

² The prevalence and correlates of binge eating disorder in the World Health Organization World Mental Health Surveys
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23290497/

³ Global prevalence of gaming disorder: A systematic review and meta-analysis. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33028074/

⁴ Epidemiology, Prevalence, and Natural History of Compulsive Sexual Behavior.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0193953X08000725