On August 15, 2022 Galectin Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: GALT), the leading developer of therapeutics that target galectin proteins, reported financial results and provided a business update for the three months ended June 30, 2022 (Press release, Galectin Therapeutics, AUG 15, 2022, View Source [SID1234618318]). These results are included in the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, which has been filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and is available at www.sec.gov.
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Joel Lewis, Chief Executive Officer and President, stated: "Our team made significant progress on a number of fronts this quarter. The most consequential action for the Company undoubtedly was finalizing a $60 million line of credit facility from Richard Uihlein. Proceeds from this very favorable financing arrangement are expected to cover all our currently projected costs for the Phase 2b portion of our NAVIGATE trial. Once again, I want to express my gratitude to Mr. Uihlein for his dedication to and belief in the Company. His unwavering commitment clearly has provided the resources necessary for the successful completion of our global pivotal clinical trial.
"Additionally, our team is making substantial progress in completing an Investigational New Drug (IND) package, including the development of a phase 2 trial protocol. The Company’s objective is to file an IND with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Office of Oncologic Diseases (OOD) for the treatment of recurrent or metastatic head and neck cancer for belapectin in combination with Keytruda, an immune checkpoint inhibitor. We will have more updates as they become available. Finally, we are looking forward to completion of enrollment of the phase 2b portion of our NAVIGATE clinical trial."
Dr. Pol Boudes, Chief Medical Officer, stated: "The COVID-19 pandemic impacted enrollment timelines for many clinical trials over the past couple of years and we, as well as other NASH study sponsors, are no exception. In response to continuing challenges, particularly in Europe and Australasia, we initiated multiple new sites in Mexico and South America. We have been pleased, thanks to assistance from local partners, to see a rapid acceptance of our program by Health Authorities and Ethics Committees. Our investigators meeting in Mexico gathered 15 new sites and gave us a unique opportunity to judge the gravity of the NASH epidemy in this country. As a result of these actions, we now have multiple sites that started to screen patients. I have also personally visited multiple sites and investigators over the past few months, in addition to meeting with several more at the International Liver Conference, this June in London, UK. We continue to receive consistent and supportive feedback from our investigators regarding the importance and uniqueness of NAVIGATE and the potential to bring to patients with cirrhosis and portal hypertension a therapy for this large unmet medical need. We have now randomized 230 patients with an additional 70 patients currently in screening. We expect enrollment to be completed in the fourth quarter of this year."
Financial Results
For the three months ended June 30, 2022, the Company reported a net loss applicable to common stockholders of $9.7 million, or ($0.16) per share, compared to a net loss applicable to common stockholders of $8.5 million, or ($0.15) per share for the three months ended June 30, 2021. The increase is largely due to an increase in 2022 research and development expenses related to the Company’s NAVIGATE trial.
Research and development expenses for the three months ended June 30, 2022, was $8.1 million compared with $6.5 million for the three months ended June 30, 2021. The increase was primarily due to costs related to the NAVIGATE clinical trial and other supportive activities. General and administrative expenses for the three months ended June 30, 2022, were $1.6 million, compared to $1.7 million for the three months ended June 30, 2021. The decrease was primarily due to a decrease in investor relations/business development expenses.
As of June 30, 2022, the Company had $24.2 million of cash and cash equivalents. The Company believes it has sufficient cash, including availability under its new $60 million line of credit, to fund currently planned operations and research and development activities through at least December 31, 2024.
About Belapectin
Belapectin is a complex carbohydrate drug that targets galectin-3, a critical protein in the pathogenesis of NASH 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," began enrolling patients in June 2020, and is 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 Fatty Liver Disease with Advanced Fibrosis and Cirrhosis
Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) 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. It is estimated that as many as 1 to 2 million individuals in the U.S. will develop cirrhosis as a result of NASH, 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 fibrosis or cirrhosis.