Cassava Sciences Rebrands to Filana Therapeutics, Pivoting From a Troubled Past

AUSTIN, TX – March 10, 2026 – In a move signaling a dramatic corporate reset, Cassava Sciences, Inc. announced today it has changed its name to Filana Therapeutics, Inc. The company, which will begin trading on the Nasdaq under the new ticker “FLNA” on March 11, is repositioning its entire strategic focus toward developing medicines that modulate the filamin A protein, starting with a rare and severe form of epilepsy.

The rebranding follows a tumultuous period for the company, marked by the high-profile failure of its Alzheimer's drug candidate, intense scrutiny over its research practices, and costly legal settlements. The shift to Filana Therapeutics is being presented as a clean break, an attempt to build a new identity rooted in a different scientific mission and a distinct, high-need patient population.

“The launch of Filana Therapeutics represents a new beginning for our Company,” said Rick Barry, President and Chief Executive Officer, in a press release. He emphasized a renewed dedication to “rigorous scientific discovery” and bringing new treatments to patients with central nervous system (CNS) disorders. But for many observers, the new name and mission are inextricably linked to the history the company is trying to leave behind.

A New Beginning Born from Controversy

Filana Therapeutics does not emerge in a vacuum. Its predecessor, Cassava Sciences, spent years embroiled in controversy surrounding its lead Alzheimer's drug candidate, simufilam. The company had claimed the drug produced significant cognitive improvements, but these assertions crumbled under allegations of data manipulation and scientific misconduct.

These allegations triggered multiple investigations. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) charged Cassava and its former leadership with making misleading statements about its clinical trial results. That investigation concluded in September 2024 with the company agreeing to a $40 million settlement without admitting or denying the claims. This was followed by a $31.25 million settlement in December 2025 to resolve a consolidated securities class action lawsuit filed by investors who alleged they were misled by doctored data.

The scientific promise of simufilam for Alzheimer's disease officially extinguished in late 2025 and early 2026, when the company announced that its Phase 3 clinical trials had failed to meet their primary endpoints for cognition and function. The program was subsequently terminated, leaving the company's future in question.

Seen in this context, the rebranding to Filana Therapeutics is more than a simple marketing exercise; it is a strategic necessity. By shedding the Cassava Sciences name—now synonymous with scientific scandal and shareholder lawsuits—the company hopes to distance itself from its past and persuade investors and the scientific community to evaluate it on a new set of terms.

The Scientific Pivot to Filamin A

The company’s new name is a direct nod to its revised scientific focus: the filamin A protein (FLNA). This is not an entirely new direction but rather a repurposing of the scientific mechanism that Cassava once claimed was central to simufilam's action. Filamin A is a critical protein that helps form the structural scaffolding within cells. In the brain, it plays a pivotal role in regulating how neurons migrate during development and form connections, making it essential for proper brain architecture and function.

Scientific research has increasingly pointed to the dysregulation of filamin A in several neurodevelopmental disorders. Aberrant expression of the protein has been linked to conditions that cause epilepsy, intellectual disability, and cognitive impairments. The company's new focus is on modulating this protein as a therapeutic strategy.

Interestingly, Cassava Sciences had previously hypothesized that simufilam worked by targeting an altered form of filamin A. Now, Filana Therapeutics is making this mechanism the centerpiece of its identity, suggesting that its core scientific asset may be applicable beyond Alzheimer's disease. The company's new mission is to develop novel therapies for diseases associated with the overexpression of filamin A, effectively doubling down on the one part of its legacy science that it believes still holds promise.

A High-Stakes Bet on a Rare Disease

Filana's first target is Tuberous Sclerosis Complex (TSC)-related epilepsy, a rare genetic disorder that causes benign tumors to grow in the brain and other organs. Epilepsy is the most common neurological symptom of TSC, affecting 80% to 90% of patients, many of whom are children who begin having seizures in their first year of life.

This is a market with a significant unmet medical need. Despite the availability of several treatments, including mTOR inhibitors like everolimus and the cannabis-derived drug Epidiolex, more than 60% of TSC patients with epilepsy are considered refractory, meaning their seizures are not controlled by existing therapies. This patient population, estimated to be around 45,000 in the U.S., represents a clear opportunity for a novel therapeutic approach.

By targeting a rare, or "orphan," disease, Filana Therapeutics is pursuing a well-established strategy in the biotech industry. Such a focus can offer benefits like smaller, faster clinical trials, less competition, and potentially premium pricing if a drug is approved. However, it also comes with the high risks inherent in drug development, particularly for a company attempting to rebuild its credibility.

For Filana Therapeutics, this pivot is a high-stakes gamble. The company has cleared major legal hurdles and is attempting to chart a new course with a focused scientific and commercial strategy. The success of this new chapter will depend not only on the validity of its science and the execution of its clinical programs but also on its ability to convince a skeptical market that this new beginning is genuine. For the company, its investors, and the families desperate for new treatments for TSC, the journey to prove that Filana is more than just Cassava in a new guise is only just beginning.