Anavex Life Sciences (AVXL) 424B5Prospectus supplement for primary offering

Anavex Life Sciences Corp.

Up to $30,331,854

Common Stock

This prospectus supplement relates to the issuance and sale of up to $30,331,854 in shares of our common stock, to Lincoln Park Capital Fund, LLC, or Lincoln Park, from time to time, in one or more transactions in amounts, at prices, and on terms that will be determined at the time these securities are offered pursuant to a purchase agreement between us and Lincoln Park, dated as of June 7, 2019, or the Purchase Agreement, whereby Lincoln Park committed to purchase up to $50,000,000 of our common stock. See “The Lincoln Park Transaction” for a description of the Purchase Agreement. Lincoln Park is an “underwriter” within the meaning of Section 2(a)(11) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Act.

Our common stock is currently listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbol “AVXL”. On April 27, 2020 the last reported sale price of our common stock was $3.41 per share.

We will pay the expenses incurred in registering the shares, including legal and accounting fees. See “Plan of Distribution”.

Investing in our securities involves a high degree of risk. See the section entitled “Risk Factors” on page S-7 of this prospectus supplement and the section entitled “Risk Factors” beginning on page 11 of the accompanying prospectus, and in the documents we filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission that are incorporated in this prospectus supplement by reference for certain risks and uncertainties you should consider.

Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or passed upon the adequacy or accuracy of this prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

The date of this prospectus supplement is May 1, 2020.

 TABLE OF CONTENTS

PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT

PROSPECTUS

ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT

We are providing information to you about this offering of our common stock in two separate documents that are bound together: (1) this prospectus supplement, which describes the specific terms of this offering, and (2) the accompanying base prospectus, which provides general information, some of which may not apply to this offering. This prospectus supplement may also add to, update or change information contained in the accompanying base prospectus. If information in this prospectus supplement is inconsistent with the accompanying base prospectus, you should rely on this prospectus supplement. Generally, when we refer to this “prospectus,” we are referring to both documents combined.

This prospectus supplement, the accompanying base prospectus and any free-writing prospectus that we prepare or authorize contain and incorporate by reference information that you should consider when making your investment decision. We have not, and Lincoln Park has not, authorized anyone to provide you with additional or different information. If anyone provides you with different or inconsistent information, you should not rely on it. You should not assume that the information contained in this prospectus supplement or the accompanying base prospectus is accurate as of any date other than the date on the front of those documents or that any information we have incorporated by reference is accurate as of any date other than the date of the document incorporated by reference. Our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may have changed since those dates.

This prospectus supplement is part of a registration statement that we filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), using a “shelf” registration process. Under the shelf registration process, we may from time to time offer and sell any combination of the securities described in the accompanying prospectus up to a total dollar amount of $250 million, of which this offering is a part.

We are not, and Lincoln Park is not, making an offer or sale of our common stock in any jurisdiction where such offer or sale is not permitted.

The information in this prospectus supplement is not complete. You should carefully read this prospectus supplement and the accompanying base prospectus, including the information incorporated by reference herein and therein, before you invest, as these documents contain information you should consider when making your investment decision.

None of Anavex Life Sciences Corp., Lincoln Park or any of their representatives are making any representation to you regarding the legality of an investment in our common stock by you under applicable laws. You should consult with your own advisors as to legal, tax, business, financial and related aspects of an investment in our common stock.

CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This prospectus supplement contains forward-looking statements. All statements other than statements of historical facts contained in this prospectus supplement, including statements regarding our anticipated future clinical and regulatory milestone events, future financial position, business strategy and plans and objectives of management for future operations, are forward-looking statements. The words “believe,” “may,” “estimate,” “continue,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “expect,” “should,” “forecast,” “could,” “suggest,” “plan,” and similar expressions, as they relate to us, are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements include, without limitation, statements regarding:

We have based these forward-looking statements largely on our current expectations and projections about future events, including the responses we expect from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, and other regulatory authorities and financial trends that we believe may affect our financial condition, results of operations, business strategy, preclinical and clinical trials and financial needs. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions including without limitation the risks described in “Risk Factors” in “Part I, Item 1A” of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2019. These risks are not exhaustive. We operate in a very competitive and rapidly changing environment. New risk factors emerge from time to time and it is not possible for our management to predict all risk factors, nor can we assess the impact of all factors on our business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements. You should not rely upon forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. We cannot assure you that the events and circumstances reflected in the forward-looking statements will be achieved or occur and actual results could differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Except as required by applicable laws including the securities laws of the United States, we assume no obligation to update or supplement forward-looking statements.

RISK FACTORS

An investment in our common stock involves a significant degree of risk. Before you invest in our common stock you should carefully consider those risk factors included in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, our most recent Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, any subsequently filed Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and any subsequently filed Current Reports on Form 8-K, which are incorporated herein by reference, and those risk factors that may be included in any applicable prospectus supplement, together with all of the other information included in this prospectus supplement, the accompanying base prospectus and the documents we incorporate by reference, in evaluating an investment in our common stock. If any of the risks discussed in the foregoing documents were to occur, our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows could be materially adversely affected. Please read “Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements.”

Risks Relating to the Purchase Agreement

The sale or issuance of our common stock to Lincoln Park may cause dilution and the sale of the shares of common stock acquired by Lincoln Park, or the perception that such sales may occur, could cause the price of our common stock to fall.

On June 7, 2019, we entered into the Purchase Agreement with Lincoln Park, pursuant to which Lincoln Park has committed to purchase up to $50 million of shares of our common stock (of which $30,000,000 of such shares are registered hereunder), and we may still issue up to 97,318 additional commitment shares pro-rata in connection with the purchase of shares of our common stock under the Purchase Agreement. We may sell purchase shares to Lincoln Park pursuant to the Purchase Agreement at our discretion from time to time for a 36-month period, which commenced on June 7, 2019.

We previously issued 324,383 shares of our common stock to Lincoln Park for no cash consideration as a fee for Lincoln Park’s execution of the Purchase Agreement, and we issued 15,032 additional commitment shares pro-rata in connection with the purchase of 1,500,000 shares of our common stock under the Purchase Agreement between June 7 and July 19, 2019, all of which were registered under our registration statement (File No. 333-207600). Following the effectiveness of the registration statement of which this prospectus supplement is a part, we also issued 49,841 additional commitment shares pro-rata in connection with the purchase of 5,964,584 shares of our common stock under the Purchase Agreement pursuant to a prospectus supplement dated September 13, 2019.

The purchase price for the shares that we may sell to Lincoln Park under the Purchase Agreement will fluctuate based on the price of our common stock. Depending on market liquidity at the time, sales of such shares may cause the trading price of our common stock to fall.

We have the right to control the timing and amount of any sales of our shares to Lincoln Park in our sole discretion, subject to certain limits on the amount of shares that can be sold on a given date. Sales of shares of our common stock, if any, to Lincoln Park will depend upon market conditions and other factors to be determined by us. Therefore, Lincoln Park may ultimately purchase all, some or none of the shares of our common stock that may be sold pursuant to the Purchase Agreement and, after it has acquired shares, Lincoln Park may sell all, some or none of those shares. Sales to Lincoln Park by us could result in substantial dilution to the interests of other holders of our common stock. Additionally, the sale of a substantial number of shares of our common stock to Lincoln Park, or the anticipation of such sales, could make it more difficult for us to sell equity or equity-related securities in the future at a time and at a price that we might otherwise wish to effect sales, which could have a materially adverse effect on our business and operations.

You may experience future dilution as a result of future equity offerings or the exercise of stock options.

To raise additional capital, we may in the future offer additional shares of our common stock at prices that may not be the same as the price per share in this offering. The price per share at which we sell additional shares of our common stock in future transactions may be higher or lower than the price per share paid by investors in this offering. In addition, we have a significant number of stock options outstanding. To the extent that outstanding stock options may be exercised, or other shares issued, you may experience further dilution.

We may not be able to access sufficient funds under the Purchase Agreement when needed.

Our ability to sell shares to Lincoln Park and obtain funds under the Purchase Agreement is limited by the terms and conditions in the Purchase Agreement, including restrictions on the amounts we may sell to Lincoln Park at any one time, and a limitation on our ability to sell shares to Lincoln Park to the extent that it would cause Lincoln Park to beneficially own more than 4.99% of our outstanding shares of common stock. Additionally, we will only be able to sell or issue to Lincoln Park 10,076,680 shares in total, which is equal to 19.99% of the shares of common stock outstanding on the date of the Purchase Agreement unless we obtain shareholder approval or the average price of such sales exceeds the price of our common stock on June 7, 2019 as determined under NASDAQ rules. Therefore, we currently do not, and may not in the future, have access to the full amount available to us under the Purchase Agreement. In addition, any amounts we sell under the Purchase Agreement may not satisfy all of our funding needs, even if we are able and choose to sell and issue all of our common stock currently registered. 

Our management might apply the net proceeds from this offering in ways with which you do not agree and in ways that may impair the value of your investment.

We currently intend to use the net proceeds from this offering primarily for working capital and general corporate purposes. Our management has broad discretion as to the use of such proceeds and you will be relying on the judgment of our management regarding the application of these proceeds. Our management might apply these proceeds in ways with which you do not agree, or in ways that ultimately do not yield a favorable return. If our management applies such proceeds in a manner that does not yield a significant return, if any, on our investment of such net proceeds, it could compromise our ability to pursue our growth strategy and adversely affect the market price of our common stock.

Risks Relating to Our Business Operations

The COVID-19 coronavirus could adversely impact our business, including our clinical trials, and financial condition.

In December 2019, a novel strain of coronavirus, COVID-19, was reported to have surfaced in Wuhan, China. Since then, the COVID-19 coronavirus has spread to multiple countries, including the United States, Australia and European and Asia-Pacific countries, including countries in which we have planned or active clinical trial sites. On January 30, 2020, the World Health Organization announced a global health emergency and in March 2020 classified the outbreak of the COVID-19 coronavirus as a pandemic, based on the rapid increase in exposure globally. As the COVID-19 coronavirus continues to spread around the globe, we may experience disruptions that could potentially impact our business and clinical trials.

In addition, the spread of COVID-19 coronavirus has had and may continue to severely impact the trading price of shares of our common stock and could further severely impact our ability to raise additional capital on a timely basis or at all.

The global outbreak of the COVID-19 coronavirus continues to rapidly evolve. The extent to which the COVID-19 coronavirus may impact our business, including our clinical trials, and financial condition will depend on future developments, which are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted with confidence, such as the ultimate geographic spread of the disease, the duration of the outbreak, travel restrictions and social distancing in the United States and other countries, business closures or business disruptions and the effectiveness of actions taken in the United States and other countries to contain and treat the disease.

As a result of the COVID-19 coronavirus, on March 27, 2020, the President of the United States signed into law the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. The CARES Act, among other things, includes provisions relating to refundable payroll tax credits, deferment of employer side social security payments, net operating loss carryback periods, alternative minimum tax credit refunds, modifications to the net interest deduction limitations, increased limitations on qualified charitable contributions, and technical corrections to tax depreciation methods for qualified improvement property.

It also appropriated funds for the SBA Paycheck Protection Program loans that are forgivable in certain situations to promote continued employment, as well as Economic Injury Disaster Loans to provide liquidity to small businesses harmed by COVID-19. There is no assurance we are eligible for these funds or will be able to obtain them.

We do not expect the enactment of the CARES Act will have a material impact on our financial condition, results of operations, or liquidity.

USE OF PROCEEDS

We intend to use the net proceeds from this offering for general corporate purposes, which may include, among other things, working capital, capital expenditures and funding additional clinical and preclinical development of our pipeline candidates.

DILUTION

The sale of our common stock to Lincoln Park pursuant to the Purchase Agreement will have a dilutive impact on our stockholders. In addition, the lower our stock price is at the time we exercise our right to sell shares to Lincoln Park, the more shares of our common stock we will have to issue to Lincoln Park pursuant to the Purchase Agreement and our existing stockholders would experience greater dilution.Wecalculatenettangiblebookvalue pershareby dividingthenettangiblebookvalue,whichistangibleassetslesstotalliabilities,bythenumberofoutstandingsharesofcommonstock.Dilutionrepresentsthe differencebetweenthe portionoftheamount pershare paidby purchasersofsharesinthisofferingandtheasadjustednettangiblebookvalue pershareofourcommonstockimmediatelyafter givingeffecttothisoffering.OurnettangiblebookvalueasofDecember 31, 2019wasapproximately $26.0million,or $0.46 pershare.

After givingeffecttothesaleofcommonstock pursuanttothis prospectussupplementandaccompanying prospectusintheaggregateamountof $30,000,000atanassumedoffering priceof $3.41 pershare,thelastreportedsale priceofourcommonstockontheNasdaq CapitalMarketonApril 27, 2020,andafter deductingestimatedaggregateofferingexpenses payableby us,ournettangiblebookvalueasofDecember 31, 2019wouldhavebeen $55.9million,or $0.85 pershareofcommonstock.Thisrepresentsanimmediateincreaseinthenettangiblebookvalueof $0.39 persharetoourexistingstockholdersandanimmediate dilutioninnettangiblebookvalueof $2.56 persharetonewinvestors.Thefollowingtableillustratesthis pershare dilution:

The table above assumes for illustrative purposes that an aggregate of 8,797,654 shares of our common stock are sold pursuant to this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus at a price of $3.41 per share, the last reported sale price of our common stock on the Nasdaq Capital Market onApril 27, 2020, for aggregate gross proceeds of $30.0 million. The shares sold in this offering, if any, will be sold from time to time at various prices. An increase of $1.00 per share in the price at which the shares are sold from the assumed offering price of $3.41 per share shown in the table above, assuming all of our common stock in the aggregate amount of $30.0 million is sold at that price, would result in an adjusted net tangible book value per share after the offering of $0.87 per share and would increase the dilution in net tangible book value per share to new investors in this offering to $3.54 per share, after deducting estimated aggregate offering expenses payable by us. A decrease of $1.00 per share in the price at which the shares are sold from the assumed offering price of $3.41 per share shown in the table above, assuming all of our common stock in the aggregate amount of $30.0 million is sold at that price, would result in an adjusted net tangible book value per share after the offering of $0.80 per share and would decrease the dilution in net tangible book value per share to new investors in this offering to $1.61 per share, after deducting estimated aggregate offering expenses payable by us.

The above table and discussion are based on57,080,356shares of common stock outstanding as ofDecember 31, 2019and exclude the following, all as of December 31, 2019:

To the extent that options or warrants outstanding as of December 31, 2019 have been or are exercised, or other shares are issued, investors purchasing shares in this offering could experience further dilution. In addition, we may choose to raise additional capital due to market conditions or strategic considerations, even if we believe we have sufficient funds for our current or future operating plans. To the extent that additional capital is raised through the sale of equity, the issuance of these securities could result in further dilution to our stockholders.

LINCOLN PARK TRANSACTION 

On June 7, 2019, we entered into the Purchase Agreement and a Registration Rights Agreement (the “RRA”) with Lincoln Park. Pursuant to the terms of the Purchase Agreement, Lincoln Park has agreed to purchase from us up to $50 million of shares of our common stock (subject to certain limitations).

On June 12, 2019, we filed a prospectus supplement to our registration statement (File No. 333-207600) (the “2016 Registration Statement”) covering the issuance and sale of (i) up to $20 million in shares of our common stock, (ii) 324,383 initial commitment shares as a commitment fee for Lincoln Park for entering into the Purchase Agreement and (iii) 64,877 additional commitment shares. At September 11, 2019, we had sold 1,500,000 shares of common stock under the Purchase Agreement for gross proceeds of $4,634,505 and have issued 15,032 additional commitment shares (in addition to the 324,383 initial commitment shares), all of which were registered under the 2016 Registration Statement. As of September 6, 2019, the 2016 Registration Statement was no longer remain effective pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act), so we have deregistered all remaining shares of common stock issuable under the Purchase Agreement and registered under the 2016 Registration Statement that have not been issued to Lincoln Park. 

On July 3, 2019, we filed the registration statement of which this prospectus supplement is a part, registering up to $250 million in securities utilizing a shelf registration process and on September 13, 2019 following the deregistration of all shares remaining registered under the 2016 Registration Statement, we filed a prospectus supplement to cover the issuance and sale of up to $15,514,532 of shares of our common stock. As of May 1, 2020 all of such shares have been sold and/or issued to Lincoln Park.

Pursuant to the terms of the RRA, which requires us to register purchase shares and additional commitment shares in order to sell purchase shares to Lincoln Park, we are filing this prospectus supplement to cover (i) the offer and sale of up to $30,000,000 of shares of our common stock and (ii) the issuance of up to 97,318 additional commitment shares to be issued pro-rata to Lincoln Park if and when we direct Lincoln Park to purchase all of the available shares of common stock under the Purchase Agreement.

Purchase of Shares Under the Purchase Agreement

We may, from time to time until July 1, 2022, in our sole discretion and subject to certain conditions outside of Lincoln Park’s control, direct Lincoln Park to purchase up to 200,000 shares (the “Regular Purchase Share Limit”) of our common stock on any business day (each such purchase, a “Regular Purchase”); provided that (i) the Regular Purchase Share Limit may be increased to up to 225,000 shares if the closing price of our common stock is not below $4.00 on such date and (ii) the Regular Purchase Share Limit may be increased to up to 250,000 shares if the closing price of our common stock is not below $6.00 on such date; and provided further that we may also mutually agree with Lincoln Park to increase the Regular Purchase Share Limit to up to 1,000,000 shares and to make multiple purchases in a given day. Additionally, all such share and dollar amounts shall be appropriately adjusted for any reorganization, recapitalization, non-cash dividend, stock split or other similar transaction as provided in the Purchase Agreement, and in no event shall Lincoln Park purchase more than $2,000,000 worth of our common stock pursuant to a Regular Purchase on any single business day. The purchase price per share for each such Regular Purchase will be equal to the lower of:

In addition to the Regular Purchases described above, in the event we have directed Lincoln Park to purchase shares of our common stock not less than the Regular Purchase Share Limit then in effect, on such purchase date we may also direct Lincoln Park to purchase an additional amount of our common stock on the following business day (an “Accelerated Purchase”), not to exceed the lesser of:

The purchase price per share for each such Accelerated Purchase will be equal to the lower of:

In the event we have directed Lincoln Park to purchase shares of our common stock in the full amount available for an Accelerated Purchase, on the date of such Accelerated Purchase (which is the business day following the corresponding Regular Purchase), we may also direct Lincoln Park to purchase an additional amount of our common stock under the same terms set forth above for an Accelerated Purchase (an “Additional Accelerated Purchase”).

In the case of Regular Purchases, Accelerated Purchases and Additional Accelerated Purchases, the purchase price per share will be adjusted for any reorganization, recapitalization, non-cash dividend, stock split, reverse stock split or other similar transaction as set forth in the Purchase Agreement.

The Purchase Agreement limits our sales of shares of common stock to Lincoln Park to 10,076,680 shares of our common stock, representing 19.99% of the shares of common stock outstanding on the date of the Purchase Agreement unless (i) shareholder approval is obtained to issue more than such amount or (ii) the average price of all applicable sales of our common stock to Lincoln Park under the Purchase Agreement equals or exceeds the lower of (A) the closing price of our common stock on the Nasdaq Capital Market immediately preceding on June 7, 2019 or (B) the average of the closing price of our common stock on the Nasdaq Capital Market for the five Business Days immediately preceding on June 7, 2019, in each case calculated in accordance with Nasdaq rules.

Other than as set forth above, there are no trading volume requirements or restrictions under the Purchase Agreement, and we will control the timing and amount of any sales of our common stock to Lincoln Park.

Events of Default

Events of default under the Purchase Agreement include the following:

Lincoln Park does not have the right to terminate the Purchase Agreement upon any of the events of default set forth above. During an event of default, all of which are outside of Lincoln Park’s control, shares of our common stock cannot be sold by us or purchased by Lincoln Park under the Purchase Agreement.

Our Termination Rights

We have the unconditional right, at any time, for any reason and without any payment or liability to us, to give notice to Lincoln Park to terminate the Purchase Agreement. In the event of bankruptcy proceedings by or against us, the Purchase Agreement will automatically terminate without action of any party.

No Short-Selling or Hedging by Lincoln Park

Lincoln Park has agreed that neither it nor any of its affiliates shall engage in any direct or indirect short-selling or hedging of our common stock during any time prior to the termination of the Purchase Agreement.

Lincoln Park’s Registration Rights

Although the Purchase Agreement provides that we may sell up to $50 million of shares of our common stock to Lincoln Park, we are only registering the $30,000,000 in shares of common stock remaining to be purchased under the Purchase Agreement, and we are only registering the 97,318 remaining additional commitment shares issuable under the Purchase Agreement under this prospectus supplement, as permitted by the RRA. Additionally, if we do sell all of the shares of common stock covered hereunder, we will be required to file a new prospectus supplement covering additional shares of common stock to be sold, and issued as additional commitment shares, to Lincoln Park under the Purchase Agreement.

Amount of Potential Proceeds to be Received under the Purchase Agreement 

 _______________ 

PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION

This prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus include the issuance and sale of up to $30,331,854 of shares of our common stock that we may issue to Lincoln Park from time to time under the Purchase Agreement. This prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus also cover the resale of these shares by Lincoln Park to the public.

We entered into the Purchase Agreement with Lincoln Park on June 7, 2019. In consideration for entering into the Purchase Agreement, we issued 324,383 shares of our common stock to Lincoln Park as initial commitment shares, and may issue up to 162,191 shares of our common stock as additional commitment shares (of which 97,318 additional commitment shares are registered hereunder) in connection with the purchase of our common stock by Lincoln Park. The Purchase Agreement provides that, upon the terms and subject to the conditions set forth therein, Lincoln Park is committed to purchase an aggregate of up to $50 million of shares of our common stock ($30,000,000 in shares is registered hereunder) over the 36-month term of the Purchase Agreement. See “Lincoln Park Transaction.”

Lincoln Park is an “underwriter” within the meaning of Section 2(a)(11) of the Securities Act. Lincoln Park has informed us that it will use an unaffiliated broker-dealer to effectuate all sales, if any, of the common stock that it may purchase from us pursuant to the Purchase Agreement. Such sales will be made on the NASDAQ Capital Market at prices and at terms then prevailing or at prices related to the then current market price. Each such unaffiliated broker-dealer will be an underwriter within the meaning of Section 2(a)(11) of the Securities Act. Lincoln Park has informed us that each such broker-dealer will receive commissions from Lincoln Park that will not exceed customary brokerage commissions.

We know of no existing arrangements between Lincoln Park and any other stockholder, broker, dealer, underwriter, or agent relating to the sale or distribution of the shares offered by this Prospectus. At the time a particular offer of shares is made, a prospectus supplement, if required, will be distributed that will set forth the names of any agents, underwriters, or dealers and any compensation from the selling stockholder, and any other required information.

We will pay all of the expenses incident to the registration, offering, and sale of the shares to Lincoln Park.

We have agreed to indemnify Lincoln Park and certain other persons against certain liabilities in connection with the offering of shares of common stock offered hereby, including liabilities arising under the Securities Act or, if such indemnity is unavailable, to contribute amounts required to be paid in respect of such liabilities.

Lincoln Park represented to us that at no time prior to the date of the Purchase Agreement has Lincoln Park or its agents, representatives or affiliates engaged in or effected, in any manner whatsoever, directly or indirectly, any short sale (as such term is defined in Rule 200 of Regulation SHO of the Exchange Act) of our Common Stock or any hedging transaction. Lincoln Park agreed that during the term of the Purchase Agreement, it, its agents, representatives or affiliates will not enter into or effect, directly or indirectly, any of the foregoing transactions.

We have advised Lincoln Park that it is required to comply with Regulation M promulgated under the Exchange Act. With certain exceptions, Regulation M precludes Lincoln Park, any affiliated purchasers, and any broker-dealer or other person who participates in the distribution from bidding for or purchasing, or attempting to induce any person to bid for or purchase any security which is the subject of the distribution until the entire distribution is complete. Regulation M also prohibits any bids or purchases made in order to stabilize the price of a security in connection with the distribution of that security. All of the foregoing may affect the marketability of the shares offered by this prospectus supplement.

Nevada Agency and Transfer Company is transfer agent and registrar for the Common Stock. Our common stock is listed on The Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbol “AVXL”.

 LEGAL MATTERS

The validity of the securities offered by this prospectus has been passed upon for us by Snell & Wilmer, L.L.P., Reno, Nevada.

EXPERTS

The financial statements as of September 30,2019 and 2018 and for each of the two years in the period ended September 30, 2019 and management’s assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting as of September 30, 2019 incorporated by reference in this Prospectus have been so incorporated in reliance on the reports of BDO USA, LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, incorporated herein by reference, given on the authority of said firm as experts in auditing and accounting. BDO’s report on the effectiveness of internal controls over financial reporting expresses an adverse opinion on the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting as of September 30, 2019.

WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION

We file annual, quarterly and other reports and other information with the SEC under the Exchange Act. You may read and copy any reports, statements or other information filed by us at the SEC’s public reference room at 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549. Our filings with the SEC are also available to the public from commercial document retrieval services and at the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.

We make available free of charge on our internet website at www.anavex.com our annual reports on Form 10-K, our quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, our current reports on Form 8-K and any amendments to those reports, as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file such material with, or furnish it to, the SEC. Information contained on our website is not incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement and you should not consider such information as part of this prospectus supplement.

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

The SEC allows us to “incorporate by reference” into this prospectus certain information that we file with the SEC, which means that we can disclose important information to you by referring you to other documents separately filed by us with the SEC that contain such information. The information we incorporate by reference is considered to be part of this prospectus and information we later file with the SEC will automatically update and supersede the information in this prospectus. The following documents filed by us with the SEC pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act and any of our future filings under Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15 (d) of the Exchange Act, except for information furnished under Item 2.02 or 7.01 of Current Report on Form 8-K, or exhibits related thereto, made before the termination of the offering are incorporated by reference herein:

Any statement contained herein or in any document incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference herein shall be deemed to be modified or superseded for the purposes of this prospectus to the extent that a statement contained herein or in any other subsequently filed document which also is or is deemed to be incorporated by reference herein modifies or replaces such statement. Any such statement so modified or superseded shall not be deemed to constitute a part of this prospectus, except as so modified or superseded.

We will provide to each person, including any beneficial owner, to whom a prospectus is delivered, a copy of any or all of the reports or documents that have been incorporated by reference in the prospectus contained in the registration statement but not delivered with the prospectus, other than an exhibit to these filings unless we have specifically incorporated that exhibit by reference into the filing, upon written or oral request and at no cost to the requester. Requests should be made by writing or telephoning us at the following address:

Anavex Life Sciences Corp.
51 West 52^nd Street, 7^th Floor
New York, NY 10019-6163
(844) 689-3939

PROSPECTUS

Anavex Life Sciences Corp.

$250,000,000 of Common Stock

and Warrants

Anavex Life Sciences Corp., a Nevada corporation (“us”, “we”, “our”, “Anavex” or the “Company”) may offer and sell from time to time, in one or more series or issuances and on terms that we will determine at the time of the offering, shares of our common stock, par value $0.001 per share (“Common Stock“) and warrants (“Warrants”) described in this prospectus, up to an aggregate amount of $250,000,000.

This prospectus provides you with a general description of the securities offered. Each time we offer and sell securities, we will file a prospectus supplement to this prospectus that contains specific information about the offering and, if applicable, the amounts, prices and terms of the securities. Such supplements may also add, update or change information contained in this prospectus. You should carefully read this prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement before you invest in any of our securities. This prospectus may not be used to consummate sales of securities unless accompanied by a prospectus supplement.

We may offer and sell the securities described in this prospectus and any prospectus supplement directly to our stockholders or to other purchasers or through agents on our behalf or through underwriters or dealers as designated from time to time. If any agents or underwriters are involved in the sale of any of these securities, the applicable prospectus supplement will provide the names of the agents or underwriters and any applicable fees, commission or discounts.

Our Common Stock is currently quoted on the Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbol “AVXL”. On July 2, 2019, the last reported sale price of our Common Stock was $3.90 per share.

Investing in our securities involves a high degree of risk. See the section entitled “Risk Factors” on page 11 of this prospectus and in the documents we filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission that are incorporated in this prospectus by reference for certain risks and uncertainties you should consider.

Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or passed upon the adequacy or accuracy of this prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

This prospectus is dated July 15, 2019.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS

This prospectus of Anavex Life Sciences Corp., a Nevada corporation (collectively with all of its subsidiaries, the “Company”, “Anavex”, or “we”, “us”, or “our”) is a part of a registration statement on Form S-3 that we filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) utilizing a “shelf” registration process. Under this shelf registration process, we may, from time to time, sell the securities described in this prospectus in one or more offerings up to a total dollar amount of $250,000,000 as described in this prospectus.

The registration statement of which this prospectus is a part provides additional information about us and the securities offered under this prospectus. The registration statement, including the exhibits and the documents incorporated herein by reference, can be read on the SEC website or at the SEC offices mentioned under the heading “Prospectus Summary - Where You Can Find More Information.”

We will provide a prospectus supplement containing specific information about the amounts, prices and terms of the securities for a particular offering. The prospectus supplement may add, update or change information in this prospectus. If the information in the prospectus is inconsistent with a prospectus supplement, you should rely on the information in that prospectus supplement. You should read both this prospectus and, if applicable, any prospectus supplement. See “Prospectus Summary — Where You Can Find More Information” for more information.

You should rely only on the information contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus and in any prospectus supplement. We have not authorized any other person to provide you with different information. If anyone provides you with different or inconsistent information, you should not rely on it. We are not making offers to sell or solicitations to buy the securities in any jurisdiction in which an offer or solicitation is not authorized or in which the person making that offer or solicitation is not qualified to do so or to anyone to whom it is unlawful to make an offer or solicitation. You should not assume that the information in this prospectus or any prospectus supplement, as well as the information we file or previously filed with the SEC that we incorporate by reference in this prospectus or any prospectus supplement, is accurate as of any date other than the date of such document. Our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may have changed since those dates.

RISK FACTORS

An investment in our securities which may be offered hereby is subject to numerous risks, including the risks described under the caption “Risk Factors” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended September 30, 2018, which is incorporated by reference herein. You should carefully consider these risks, along with the information provided elsewhere in this prospectus and the documents we incorporate by reference in this prospectus before investing in our securities. You could lose all or part of your investment in the securities. You should consider these matters in conjunction with the other information included or incorporated by reference in this prospectus. The risks and uncertainties described in this prospectus, any applicable prospectus supplement and the documents incorporated by reference herein are not the only ones facing us. Additional risks and uncertainties that we do not presently know about or that we currently believe are not material may also adversely affect our business. Our business, results of operations or financial condition could be seriously harmed, and the trading price of our Common Stock may decline due to any of these or other risks.

CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This prospectus supplement contains forward-looking statements. All statements other than statements of historical facts contained in this prospectus supplement, including statements regarding our anticipated future clinical and regulatory milestone events, future financial position, business strategy and plans and objectives of management for future operations, are forward-looking statements. The words “believe,” “may,” “estimate,” “continue,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “expect,” “should,” “forecast,” “could,” “suggest,” “plan,” and similar expressions, as they relate to us, are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements include, without limitation, statements regarding:

We have based these forward-looking statements largely on our current expectations and projections about future events, including the responses we expect from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, and other regulatory authorities and financial trends that we believe may affect our financial condition, results of operations, business strategy, preclinical and clinical trials and financial needs. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions including without limitation the risks described in “Risk Factors” in “Part I, Item 1A” of or Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018. These risks are not exhaustive. We operate in a very competitive and rapidly changing environment. New risk factors emerge from time to time and it is not possible for our management to predict all risk factors, nor can we assess the impact of all factors on our business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements. You should not rely upon forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. We cannot assure you that the events and circumstances reflected in the forward-looking statements will be achieved or occur and actual results could differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Except as required by applicable laws including the securities laws of the United States, we assume no obligation to update or supplement forward-looking statements.

USE OF PROCEEDS

Unless otherwise specified in the applicable prospectus supplement, we intend to use the net proceeds from the sale of the securities described in this prospectus in connection with the primary offering for general corporate and operations purposes and to fund our anticipated growth. The applicable prospectus supplement will provide more details on the use of proceeds of any specific offering.

DILUTION

We will set forth in a prospectus supplement the following information regarding any material dilution of the equity interests of investors purchasing securities in an offering under this prospectus:

PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION

We may sell the securities described in this prospectus on a continuous or delayed basis directly to purchasers, through underwriters, broker-dealers or agents that may receive compensation in the form of discounts, concessions or commissions from us or the purchasers of the securities, in “at the market offerings” within the meaning of Rule 415(a)(4) of the Securities Act, to or through a market maker or into an existing trading market, on an exchange, or otherwise or through a combination of any such methods of sale. Discounts, concessions or commissions as to any particular underwriter, broker-dealer or agent may be in excess of those customary in the types of transactions involved.

The securities may be sold from time to time in one or more transactions at fixed prices, which may be changed from time to time, at prevailing market prices at the time of sale, at varying prices determined at the time of sale or at negotiated prices. These sales may be effected in transactions, which may involve crosses or block transactions:

Each time that we use this prospectus to sell our securities, we shall also provide a prospectus supplement. For each series of securities, the applicable prospectus supplement will set forth the terms of the offering including:

If we use underwriters in the sale of securities, the securities will be acquired by the underwriters for their own account. The underwriters may then resell the securities in one or more transactions at a fixed public offering price or at varying prices determined at the time of sale or thereafter. The securities may be either offered to the public through underwriting syndicates represented by managing underwriters, or directly by underwriters. The obligations of the underwriters to purchase the securities will be subject to certain conditions. The underwriters will be obligated to purchase all the securities offered if they purchase any securities. The public offering price and any discounts or concessions allowed or re-allowed or paid to dealers may be changed from time to time.

If we use dealers in the sale of securities, we will sell securities to such dealers as principals. The dealers may then resell the securities to the public at varying prices to be determined by such dealers at the time of resale. We may solicit offers to purchase the securities directly, and we may sell the securities directly to institutional or other investors, who may be deemed underwriters within the meaning of the Securities Act with respect to any resales of those securities. The terms of these sales will be described in the applicable prospectus supplement. If we use agents in the sale of securities, unless otherwise indicated in the prospectus supplement, they will use their reasonable best efforts to solicit purchases for the period of their appointment. Unless otherwise indicated in a prospectus supplement, if we sell directly, no underwriters, dealers or agents would be involved. We will not make an offer of securities in any jurisdiction that does not permit such an offer.

We may grant underwriters who participate in the distribution of securities an option to purchase additional securities to cover overallotments, if any, in connection with the distribution. Any underwriter may engage in overallotment, stabilizing transactions, short covering transactions and penalty bids in accordance with SEC orders, rules and regulations and applicable law. To the extent permitted by applicable law and SEC orders, rules and regulations, an overallotment involves sales in excess of the offering size, which create a short position. Stabilizing transactions permit bids to purchase the underlying security so long as the stabilizing bids do not exceed a specified maximum. To the extent permitted by applicable law and SEC orders, rules and regulations, short covering transactions involve purchases of the securities in the open market after the distribution is completed to cover short positions. Penalty bids permit the underwriters to reclaim a selling concession from a dealer when the securities originally sold by the dealer is purchased in a covering transaction to cover short positions. Those activities may cause the price of the Common Stock to be higher than it would otherwise be. If commenced, the underwriters may discontinue any of the activities at any time.

Any underwriters who are qualified market makers on the NASDAQ Stock Market may engage in passive market making transactions in our Common Stock on the NASDAQ Stock Market in accordance with Rule 103 of Regulation M, during the business day prior to the pricing of the offering, before the commencement of offers or sales of the Common Stock. Passive market makers must comply with applicable volume and price limitations and must be identified as passive market makers. In general a passive market maker must display its bid at a price not in excess of the highest independent bid for such security; if all independent bids are lowered below the passive market maker’s bid, however, the passive market maker’s bid must then be lowered when certain purchase limits are exceeded. The anti-manipulation rules under the Exchange Act may apply to sales of shares in the market. Furthermore, Regulation M may restrict the ability of any person engaged in the distribution of the shares to engage in market-making activities for the particular securities being distributed for a period of up to five business days before the distribution. The restrictions may affect the marketability of the shares and the ability of any person or entity to engage in market-making activities for the shares.

Underwriters, dealers and agents that participate in any distribution of securities may be deemed to be underwriters as defined in the Securities Act. Any discounts, commissions or profit they receive when they resell the securities may be treated as underwriting discounts and commissions under the Securities Act. Only underwriters named in the prospectus supplement are underwriters of the securities offered in the prospectus supplement. We may have agreements with underwriters, dealers and agents to indemnify them against certain civil liabilities, including certain liabilities under the Securities Act, or to contribute with respect to payments that they may be required to make.

We may authorize underwriters, dealers or agents to solicit offers from certain institutions whereby the institution contractually agrees to purchase the securities from us on a future date at a specific price. This type of contract may be made only with institutions that we specifically approve. Such institutions could include banks, insurance companies, pension funds, investment companies and educational and charitable institutions. The underwriters, dealers or agents will not be responsible for the validity or performance of these contracts.

Each series of securities will be a new issue of securities. Our Common Stock is quoted on the Nasdaq Capital Market. Unless otherwise specified in the applicable prospectus supplement, our securities (other than our Common Stock) will not be listed on any exchange. It has not presently been established whether the underwriters, if any, of the securities will make a market in the securities. If the underwriters make a market in the securities, such market making may be discontinued at any time without notice.

Agents, dealers and underwriters may be entitled to indemnification by us against certain civil liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act, or to contribution with respect to payments which the agents, dealers or underwriters may be required to make in respect thereof. Agents, dealers or underwriters may be customers of, engage in transactions with, or perform services for us and our subsidiaries in the ordinary course of business.

DESCRIPTION OF OUR CAPITAL STOCK

Common Stock

We are authorized to issue 100,000,000 shares of Common Stock with a par value of $0.001. As of July 2, 2019, we had 51,661,413 shares of Common Stock outstanding. Upon liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the corporation, the holders of Common Stock are entitled to share ratably in all net assets available for distribution to stockholders after payment to creditors. The Common Stock is not convertible or redeemable and has no preemptive, subscription or conversion rights. There are no conversion, redemption, sinking fund or similar provisions regarding the Common Stock. Each outstanding share of Common Stock is entitled to one vote on all matters submitted to a vote of stockholders. There are no cumulative voting rights.

Each stockholder is entitled to receive the dividends as may be declared by our board of directors out of funds legally available for dividends and, in the event of liquidation, to share pro rata in any distribution of our assets after payment of liabilities. Our board of directors is not obligated to declare a dividend. Any future dividends will be subject to the discretion of our board of directors and will depend upon, among other things, future earnings, the operating and financial condition of our Company, its capital requirements, general business conditions and other pertinent factors. It is not anticipated that dividends will be paid in the foreseeable future.

On October 7, 2015, the Company effected a reverse stock split at a ratio of 1 for 4, whereby every 4 shares of Common Stock became 1 share of Common Stock. The authorized shares of Common Stock of the Company were therefore proportionally reduced from 400,000,000 to 100,000,000.

Our Common Stock is quoted on the Nasdaq Capital Market under the trading symbol “AVXL”. On July 2, 2019, the last reported sale price of our Common Stock was $3.90 per share.

Nevada Anti-Takeover Law and Charter and Bylaws Provisions

Nevada Revised Statutes sections 78.378 to 78.3793 provide state regulation over the acquisition of a controlling interest in certain Nevada corporations unless the articles of incorporation or bylaws of the corporation provide that the provisions of these sections do not apply. The statute creates a number of restrictions on the ability of a person or entity to acquire control of a Nevada company by setting down certain rules of conduct and voting restrictions in any acquisition attempt, among other things. The statute is limited to corporations that are organized in the state of Nevada and that have 200 or more shareholders, at least 100 of whom are shareholders of record and residents of the state of Nevada; and do business in the state of Nevada directly or through an affiliated corporation. Because of these conditions, the statute does not apply to our Company.

There are no provisions in our articles of incorporation or our bylaws that would delay, defer or prevent a change in control of our Company.

DESCRIPTION OF WARRANTS

We may issue Warrants from time to time in one or more series for the purchase of our Common Stock. Warrants may be issued independently or together with any shares of Common Stock or offered by any prospectus supplement and may be attached to or separate from Common Stock. Each series of Warrants may be issued under a separate warrant agreement to be entered into between us and a warrant agent, or any other bank or trust company specified in the related prospectus supplement relating to the particular issue of Warrants. A warrant agent may act as our agent in connection with the Warrants and would not assume any obligation or relationship of agency or trust for or with any holders of Warrants or beneficial owners of Warrants. The specific terms of any series of Warrants will be described in the applicable prospectus supplement relating to that series of Warrants along with any general provisions applicable to that series of Warrants.

The following is a general description of the Warrants we may issue. The applicable prospectus supplement will describe the specific terms of any issuance of Warrants. The terms of any Warrants we offer may differ from the terms described in this prospectus. As a result, we will describe in the prospectus supplement the specific terms of the particular series of Warrants offered by that prospectus supplement. Accordingly, for a description of the terms of a particular series of Warrants, you should carefully read this prospectus, the applicable prospectus supplement, and the applicable warrant agreement, which will be filed as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part.

Terms

If Warrants are offered by us, the prospectus supplement will describe the terms of the Warrants, including the following if applicable to the particular offering:

Warrants may be exchanged for new warrants of different denominations, may be presented for registration of transfer, and may be exercised at our principal executive office, the warrant agent or any other office indicated in the prospectus supplement.

Before the exercise of their Warrants, holders of Warrants will not have any of the rights of holders of shares of Common Stock, including the right to receive payments of dividends, if any, on the shares of Common Stock or to exercise any applicable right to vote.

Exercise of Warrants

Each Warrant will entitle the holder to purchase a number of shares of Common Stock at an exercise price as will in each case be described in, or calculable from, the prospectus supplement relating to those Warrants. Warrants may be exercised at the times set forth in the prospectus supplement relating to the Warrants. After the close of business on the expiration date (or any later date to which the expiration date may be extended by us), unexercised Warrants will become void. Subject to any restrictions and additional requirements that may be set forth in the prospectus supplement relating thereto, Warrants may be exercised by delivery to the warrant agent, or at our principal executive office or any other office indicated in the prospectus supplement, of the certificate evidencing the Warrants properly completed and duly executed, and of payment as provided in the prospectus supplement of the amount required to purchase the shares of Common Stock purchasable upon such exercise. The exercise price will be the price applicable on the date of payment in full, as set forth in the prospectus supplement relating to the Warrants. Upon receipt of the payment, and the certificate representing the Warrants to be exercised properly completed and duly executed at our principal executive office, the warrant agent or any other office indicated in the prospectus supplement, we will, as soon as practicable, issue and deliver the shares of Common Stock purchasable upon such exercise. If fewer than all of the Warrants represented by that certificate are exercised, a new certificate will be issued for the remaining amount of Warrants.

The description in the applicable prospectus supplement and other offering material of any Warrants we offer will not necessarily be complete and will be qualified in its entirety by reference to the applicable warrant agreement, which will be filed with the SEC if we offer Warrants. For more information on how you can obtain copies of the applicable warrant agreement if we offer Warrants, see “Where You Can Find More Information”. We urge you to read the applicable warrant agreement and the applicable prospectus supplement in their entirety.

LEGAL MATTERS

The validity of the securities offered by this prospectus has been passed upon for us by Snell & Wilmer, L.L.P., Reno, Nevada. If legal matters in connection with offerings made pursuant to this prospectus are passed upon by counsel for the underwriters, dealers or agents, if any, such counsel will be named in the prospectus supplement relating to such offering.

EXPERTS

The consolidated financial statements as of September 30, 2018 and 2017 and for each of the three years in the period ended September 30, 2018 and management’s assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting as of September 30, 2018 incorporated by reference in this Prospectus have been so incorporated in reliance on the reports of BDO USA, LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, incorporated herein by reference, given on the authority of said firm as experts in auditing and accounting.

DISCLOSURE OF COMMISSION POSITION ON INDEMNIFICATION

Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act, as amended, may be permitted to directors, officers, and controlling persons of the registrant pursuant to the Company’s constituent documents, or otherwise, the registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the SEC such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer, or controlling person in the successful defense of any action, suit, or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer, or controlling person connected with the securities being registered, we will, unless in the opinion of our counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

The SEC allows us to “incorporate by reference” into this prospectus certain information that we file with the SEC, which means that we can disclose important information to you by referring you to other documents separately filed by us with the SEC that contain such information. The information we incorporate by reference is considered to be part of this prospectus and information we later file with the SEC will automatically update and supersede the information in this prospectus. The following documents filed by us with the SEC pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act and any of our future filings under Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15 (d) of the Exchange Act, except for information furnished under Item 2.02 or 7.01 of Current Report on Form 8-K, or exhibits related thereto, made before the termination of the offering are incorporated by reference herein:

In addition, all documents subsequently filed by us pursuant to Section 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act before the date the offering of securities hereunder is terminated or complete are deemed to be incorporated by reference into, and to be a part of, this prospectus.

We will provide to each person, including any beneficial owner, to whom a prospectus is delivered, a copy of any or all of the reports or documents that have been incorporated by reference in the prospectus contained in the registration statement but not delivered with the prospectus, other than an exhibit to these filings unless we have specifically incorporated that exhibit by reference into the filing, upon written or oral request and at no cost to the requester. Requests should be made by writing or telephoning us at the following address:

Anavex Life Sciences Corp.
51 West 52^nd Street, 7^thFloor
New York, NY 10019-6163
(844) 689-3939

Up to $30,331,854

Anavex Life Sciences Corp.

Common Stock

PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT

May 1, 2020