Oct. 14, 2013, 12:06 p.m. EDT
Oct 14, 2013 (ACCESSWIRE via COMTEX) -- Biotechnology has been an outperforming sector in 2013 with IBB, iShares Nasdaq Biotechnology Index Fund, rising about 57 percent through September 27 highs. BIB, the ProShares Ultra Nasdaq Biotechnology Index has roared ahead about 135 percent through highs on the same day.
While those gains are certainly robust, the September high of Galectin Therapeutics Inc. at $13.21 made them seem paltry, producing gains of more than 550 percent in 2013 for GALT shareholders. The surge in Galectin's valuation seems simply a product of corporate advancements as the company establishes itself as a leader in pioneering treatments for fibrosis, especially liver fibrosis that results from fatty liver disease.
Liver fibrosis can be an asymptomatic death sentence with no available therapeutics to treat the scarring in the liver that leads to liver complications, co-morbidities and death. The genesis of fibrosis is fatty liver disease, with the combined conditions, called non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, or "NASH," affecting as many as 15 million Americans today. Some estimates put the number of Americans affected by nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) as high as 30 percent of the population, or approximately 94 million people.
With the high diagnosis rate, researchers have mostly focused on developing therapies to stop the accumulation of fat in the liver, but with limited success. Companies devoting their resources toward new treatments for advanced stages of the diseases are minimal, with Galectin and Gilead Sciences +0.03% running promising programs in that space. Meanwhile, the select few other companies targeting fibrosis are focused on the early stages of the disease, a time where it can be very difficult to identify which patients will advance to more serious stages of the disease. Gilead has received plenty of attention in 2013 for its leadership role in HIV drugs as well as fibrosis efforts with simtuzumab in mid-stage trials for NASH patients, helping send shares about 70 percent higher so far this year.
While Galectin has its GM-CT-01 drug candidate in Phase 2 clinical trials for melanoma, perhaps an even larger driver has been their research of their galectin protein-inhibiting drugs that shows the potential for GR-MD-02 to not only treat NASH patients, but also actually reverse the scarring in the liver. A drug to treat fatty liver disease and fibrosis has blockbuster potential written all over it, but one that can actually reverse scarring can revolutionize fibrosis research.
While this article is only referencing the liver, fibrosis is prominent in other vital organs as a result of inflammation or damage, such as the lungs, heart, intestines and more. Galectin has conducted pre-clinical research on GR-MD-02 to expand into additional indications, with information released in September disclosing the drug showing a "robust effect" in reducing lung fibrosis. Separate research has also demonstrated tumor shrinkage and enhanced survival in immune competent breast and prostate cancer mouse models treated with GR-MD-02 in combination with immune checkpoint blockage inhibitors anti-CTLA-4 or anti-PD-1.
Galectin is evaluating GR-MD-02 in the Phase 1 trial under a Fast Track designation from the Food and Drug Administration with the first patient dosed in July. The trial is planned to enroll about 32 patients with NASH and stage 3 fibrosis across six clinical sites in the U.S.
There is no doubt that the biotech sector has been one of the best market performers in 2013 and it doesn't look to be losing any steam. Even as some of the majors take a breather as the new year approaches, investors should be looking for developmental companies that are starting to grow a stronger valuation based upon two things: the data supporting their drug and the future market potential if successfully maneuvered down the regulatory pathway. In the case of companies engaged in fibrosis treatments, market capitalizations in the low hundreds of millions of dollars should only represent a portion of the things to come.
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About Emerging Growth LLC:
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