Galecto Biotech names Richard Marshall as Chief Medical Officer

Galecto Biotech, which is developing an inhaled galectin-3 inhibitor for the treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), has hired former GSK VP and Head of the Fibrosis & Lung Injury Discovery Performance Unit Richard Marshall as its Chief Medical Officer, the company said. Marshall held a number of positions in respiratory drug development at GSK over 15 years.

In November 2014, the company announced that Bristol-Myers Squibb had signed an option agreement to acquire Galecto and TD139 that would have had to be exercised within 60 days of completion of a Phase 1b trial.

Results from a Phase 1b/2a clinical trial of TD139 announced in March 2017 demonstrated that the product was “extremely well tolerated in all patients with PK exhibiting proportional systemic exposure with a favorable half-life.”

Marshall said, “Galecto’s unique approach to targeting galectin-3 has shown very promising results, so far, in clinical studies. This exciting mechanism has the potential to bring new medicines to patients, treating fibrosis and inflammation across a range of severe, often life threatening, diseases. I look forward to working with the superb team at at Galecto to help steer the next stage of clinical development for Galecto’s portfolio of candidate drugs.”

Galecto CEO Hans Schambye commented, “Richard is a great addition to the Galecto management team as we move towards late-stage clinical studies with our lead program, TD139, a potent and selective inhibitor of galectin-3, in Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF) and advance other candidates in fibrosis, inflammation and cancer through clinical development. His career at GSK has seen him deliver on all aspects of drug discovery and development within the respiratory and fibrosis field, making him ideal to help take Galecto to the next level.”

Read the Galecto Biotech press release.