Galectin Therapeutics Update on the Impact of COVID-19

NORCROSS, Ga., April 02, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Galectin Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: GALT), the leading developer of therapeutics that target galectin proteins today provided an update on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Company and its clinical trial activities.

As the global COVID-19 pandemic continues to quickly evolve, we have put measures in place intended to safeguard the health of our employees in line with many other companies. In doing so, we aim to do our part to help slow the spread of COVID-19 in our communities and protect our employees and their families, all while continuing the critical work necessary to initiate and conduct our NASH-RX clinical trial for patients with NASH cirrhosis. 

In accordance with guidance issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the World Health Organization (WHO) and local authorities, our employees are working remotely from home. We are now leveraging digital communication technologies to continue important interactions with healthcare professionals, patients and other stakeholders. We remain committed to completing and filing the NASH-RX protocol with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the near term. To date, we have suffered no significant financial hardships, delays or loss of any employees or contractors related to COVID-19.

The COVID-19 pandemic has substantially impacted the global healthcare delivery system including the conduct of clinical trials. As appropriate, many healthcare systems and providers have understandably prioritized caring for those suffering from COVID-19 and redirected resources in support of the broader community currently. This burden on the healthcare system has also impaired the ability of many clinical research centers to start new studies, enroll new patients and/or continue ongoing clinical trials. Most importantly, we must consider the risk to the patients of asking them to leave their homes and travel in an environment governmental authorities have deemed unsafe. At this time and as previously communicated, we plan to initiate the NASH-RX trial during the second quarter of 2020; however, this may be impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.