Galectin Therapeutics attended 2023 conference sponsored by AASLD

Galectin Therapeutics attended the 2023 Emerging Topic Conference on NASH Cirrhosis: From Mechanisms to Management, sponsored by the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases, AASLD. The Conference took place in Los Angeles, March 25-26, 2023. The AASLD has created a new forum to share knowledge around NASH cirrhosis and explore current and future opportunities for patients affected with this devastating disease. The conference was attended, moderated, and chaired by clinical investigators who have enrolled their patients in Galectin Therapeutics’ ongoing NAVIGATE study, an innovative phase 2b/3 study evaluating the effect of belapectin for the primary prevention of esophageal varices in patients with portal hypertension due to NASH cirrhosis. The conference reiterated the known limitation of liver biopsy, including the lack of sensitivity for response criteria in cirrhotic patients and the difficulty predicting the timing of cirrhotic decompensation events. Dr. Pol Boudes, Galectin Therapeutics Chief Medical Officer, stated: "For far too long, liver cirrhosis has been a neglected disease for drug developers, and we welcome the organization of this conference by the AASLD. We are already facing a major crisis of patients afflicted with NASH cirrhosis, and future numbers are only projected to increase. If these projections are accurate, the health system will be completely overwhelmed. In the U.S., the shortage of transplants will be dramatic, and the cost of liver transplantations to society will lead to further rationing. The situation is already dramatic and will grow even worse in countries that have limited or no possibility of liver transplants."