NEW YORK, July 22, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Lowey Dannenberg P.C., a preeminent law firm in obtaining redress for consumers and investors, is investigating claims of violations of federal securities laws on behalf of investors of Athira Pharma, Inc. (“Athira” or the “Company”) (NASDAQ: ATHA). If you are a shareholder of Athira with more than $50,000 in losses, you should contact the Firm.

Athira is a late-stage clinical biopharmaceutical company that is focused on developing small molecules to restore neuronal health and stop neurodegeneration.

On June 17, 2021, after the market closed, Athira announced that it had placed its president and Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Leen Kawas (“Kawas”), on leave pending a review of actions stemming from doctoral research she conducted while at Washington State University (“WSU”).

The same day, STAT published an article stating that WSU was investigating claims that Dr. Kawas “published several papers containing altered images while she was a graduate student.” These papers “are foundational to Athira’s efforts to treat Alzheimer’s” because they “established that a particular molecule affects the activity of HGF.” Though Athira is developing a different molecule than the one Kawas examined in the papers at issue, her “doctoral work laid the biological groundwork that Athira continues to use in their approach to treating Alzheimer’s.”

On this news, the Company’s share price fell $7.09, or approximately 39%, to close at $11.15 per share on June 18, 2021, on unusually heavy trading volume.

A securities class action has been filed against Athira and several of its officers in the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington, on behalf of investors who acquired the Company’s common stock. The Complaint alleges that Athira’s Registration Statement was materially false and misleading and omitted to state: (1) that Kawas had published research papers containing improperly altered images while she was a graduate student; (2) that this purported research was foundational to Athira’s efforts to develop treatments for Alzheimer’s because it laid the biological groundwork that Athira was using in its approach to treating Alzheimer’s; (3) that, as a result, Athira’s intellectual property and product development for the treatment of Alzheimer’s were based on invalid research; and (4) that, as a result of the foregoing, Defendants’ positive statements about the Company’s business, operations, and prospects, were materially misleading and/or lacked a reasonable basis.

If you purchased Athira Pharma, Inc. securities between September 18, 2020 and June 17, 2021, inclusive, you have until August 24, 2021 to ask the Court to appoint you as Lead Plaintiff for the class. To participate, learn more, or discuss the issues surrounding the investigation, please contact our attorneys at (914) 733-7256 or via email at [email protected].  

Whistleblowers: Persons with non-public information regarding Athira Pharma, Inc. should consider their options to help in the investigation or take advantage of the SEC Whistleblower program. Under the new program, whistleblowers who provide original information may receive rewards totaling up to 30 percent of any successful recovery made by the SEC.

About Lowey Dannenberg

Lowey Dannenberg is a national firm representing institutional and individual investors, who suffered financial losses resulting from corporate fraud and malfeasance in violation of federal securities and antitrust laws. The firm has significant experience in prosecuting multi-million-dollar lawsuits and has previously recovered billions of dollars on behalf of investors.

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Lowey Dannenberg P.C.
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Tel: (914) 733-7256
Email: [email protected]