Galecto Appoints Industry Leader Bertil Lindmark, MD, PhD, as Chief Medical Officer

• Dr. Lindmark brings broad R&D expertise, particularly in respiratory and inflammation
• Appointment reinforces Galecto’s ambition to be a global player following PharmAkea merger

COPENHAGEN, Denmark, Feb. 03, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Galecto, Inc., a leading developer of novel treatments for fibrosis and cancer, today announces the appointment of the highly experienced industry leader Bertil Lindmark as Chief Medical Officer per February 1, 2020.

Dr Lindmark, who joins from eTheRNA immunotherapies NV, a privately held Belgian mRNA immunotherapy company, has had an extensive and successful career in the pharmaceutical industry, building up broad clinical development and regulatory experience globally, and significant expertise in research and development in both large and small pharmaceutical organizations.

“We are very pleased to welcome Bertil to Galecto. His global background, deep scientific knowledge and leadership experience will further strengthen our ambitious targets as we progress GB0139 towards market and explore the potential of our exciting pipeline following the merger with PharmAkea,” said Hans Schambye, CEO of Galecto.

As Global VP Clinical Development for the Respiratory and Inflammation franchises at AstraZeneca, Bertil Lindmark led development of Symbicort, one of the worlds’ leading respiratory brands, and many other respiratory and gastro-intestinal products. From 2010, he headed Global R&D at Almirall, involving 500 staff and the successful development and approval of several new drugs in the respiratory, gastro-intestinal, neuroscience and dermatological fields. In 2015 he joined ASLAN Pharmaceuticals in Singapore with a focus on cancer and atopic skin and lung diseases.

Dr Lindmark holds specialties in internal medicine and gastroenterology, and obtained his PhD in molecular epidemiology from Lund University, Sweden. In 2019, he was appointed visiting Professor Innovation and Entrepreneurship at the Institute of Medicine at Gothenburg University, Sweden.

“I look forward to joining Galecto at such an important point in the company’s development,” Bertil Lindmark said. “Galecto has a very promising combination of small molecule drug candidates in its pipeline: two targeting the role of galectin-3 in inhibiting cells involved in fibrosis, and one that inhibits LOXL2, a key enzyme involved in the formation of the extracellular matrix during the fibrotic process. These differentiated molecules in clinical phase form a strong foundation on which we aim to build a future global operation.”

About Galecto
Galecto is a clinical stage company with advanced programs in fibrosis and cancer, including an inhaled galectin-3 modulator currently in phase IIb for the potential treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Galecto has a broad pipeline of drug candidates targeting the role of galectin-3 in inhibiting cells involved in fibrosis, as well as small molecule programs that target LOXL2, a key enzyme involved in the formation of the extracellular matrix during the fibrotic process. The company is incorporated in the US and has its operating headquarters in Copenhagen, Denmark. Galecto is funded by Novo Holdings, OrbiMed, Ysios, HBM Healthcare Investments, Sunstone Capital, M Ventures, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Maverick Ventures, Seventure and SEED Capital.
Further information can be found at www.galecto.com.

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