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Galectin Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:GALT), the leading developer of therapeutics that target galectin-3, today announced it will participate in the 20th edition of the Discovery on Target meeting, the industry's preeminent event on Novel Drug Targets and Technologies. The Company will present an update on its belapectin liver cirrhosis program during the Fibrosis and Inflammation session. The presentation, titled "Targeting Activated Macrophages to Improve Liver Cirrhosis: The Discovery and Clinical Translation of Belapectin," will take place Wednesday, September 27, at 2:25 PM EDT and will be delivered by Dr. Pol F. Boudes, M.D., Chief Medical Officer of Galectin Therapeutics.
Boudes commented: "The role of activated macrophages in the establishment and progression of liver cirrhosis is predominant1. These cells, when activated, invade the liver, and produce galectin-3, a pro-inflammatory and pro-fibrotic molecule. Belapectin is a galectin-3 inhibitor that, thanks to its unique molecular structure, is captured by activated macrophages and can inhibit galectin-3 at its site of production. Liver cirrhosis has been a field that has been neglected for far too long by drug developers and the Discovery on Target meeting is an excellent opportunity to familiarize a large audience to the consequences of liver cirrhosis and portal hypertension and highlight the opportunity our belapectin program offers for patients affected by this severe disease."
1 Ramachandran, et al. Single-cell technologies in hepatology: new insights into liver biology and disease pathogenesis. Nature Reviews Gastroenterology and Hepatology 2020;17:457-472.
About Belapectin
Belapectin is a complex carbohydrate drug that targets galectin-3, a critical protein in the pathogenesis of NASH/MASH and fibrosis. Galectin-3 plays a major role in diseases that involve scarring of organs, including fibrotic disorders of the liver, lung, kidney, heart and vascular system. Belapectin binds to galectin-3 and disrupts its function. Preclinical data in animals have shown that belapectin has robust treatment effects in reversing liver fibrosis and cirrhosis. A Phase 2 study showed belapectin may prevent the development of esophageal varices in NASH cirrhosis, and these results provide the basis for the conduct of the NAVIGATE trial. The NAVIGATE trial (www.NAVIGATEnash.com), titled, "A Seamless Adaptive Phase 2b/3, Double-Blind, Randomized, Placebo-controlled Multicenter, International Study Evaluating the Efficacy and Safety of Belapectin (GR-MD-02) for the Prevention of Esophageal Varices in NASH Cirrhosis," is fully enrolled, and further details are posted on www.clinicaltrials.gov (NCT04365868). Galectin-3 has a significant role in cancer, and the Company has supported a Phase 1b study in combined immunotherapy of belapectin and Keytruda in advanced melanoma and in head and neck cancer. This trial provided a strong rationale for moving forward into a Company-sponsored Phase 2 development program, which the company is exploring.
About liver cirrhosis due to NASH/MASH and portal hypertension
Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), also known as MASH, has become a common disease of the liver with the rise in obesity and other metabolic diseases. NASH is estimated to affect up to 28 million people in the U.S. It is characterized by the presence of excess fat in the liver along with inflammation and hepatocyte damage (ballooning) in people who consume little or no alcohol. Over time, patients with NASH can develop excessive fibrosis, or scarring of the liver, and ultimately liver cirrhosis. Liver cirrhosis is further complicated by portal hypertension which is one of the main mechanism leading to decompensated liver cirrhosis. It is estimated that as many as 1 to 2 million individuals in the U.S. will develop cirrhosis as a result of NASH/MASH, for which liver transplantation is the only curative treatment available. Approximately 9,000 liver transplants are performed annually in the U.S. There are no drug therapies approved for the treatment of liver cirrhosis.
Posted In: GALT
