Former HUD Secretary Dr. Ben Carson, Sr. will assist Galectin Therapeutics Inc. (NSDQ: GALT) with the development of its galectin-3 inhibitor, belapectin. The drug is a potential treatment for nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), which is also known as nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.
Galectin Therapeutics has an ongoing Phase 2b/3 trial to investigate belapectin’s potential in treating cirrhosis associated with NASH and other fibrotic diseases.
Galectin Therapeutics will make Carson responsible for forming a scientific advisory committee for the company.
In related news, Biopharma Ovid Therapeutics (NSDQ:OVID) has recently announced it had hired a well-known leader — MIT professor Robert Langer — to lead an advisory group. That company installed famed inventor Robert Langer as the leader of its scientific advisory committee.
At Galectin Therapeutics, Carson will advise in recruiting commercial and academic partners.
“We are proud to announce our engagement with Dr. Carson, whose scientific and medical knowledge will be invaluable to the Company as we move forward with our current trials in NASH cirrhosis and cancer immunotherapy,” said Joel Lewis, Galectin Therapeutics CEO, in a statement.
Referring to his appointment, Carson stated, “Galectin Therapeutics and its drug candidate, belapectin, are at the forefront of research into galectin inhibition, which appears to be implicated in many diseases, including NASH cirrhosis, which is a large unmet medical need.”
Carson said that early data suggest that belapectin could be used in tandem with immunotherapy to treat cancer and other disorders that involve galectin-3.
Filed Under: Drug Discovery, Drug Discovery and Development
