BOSTON, April 06, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Avalyn Pharma Inc., (“Avalyn” or the “Company”), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company pioneering inhaled therapies to transform the treatment paradigm of serious, rare respiratory diseases, today announced the appointment of Jon Congleton, an accomplished biopharmaceutical executive, to its Board of Directors (the “Board”). Mr. Congleton currently serves as Chief Executive Officer and Board Member of Mineralys Therapeutics, Inc. (“Mineralys”), which he has led from its founding as a private, early-stage organization through its evolution into a publicly traded, pre-commercial stage biotechnology company.
“We are delighted to welcome Jon to Avalyn’s Board, adding another accomplished biopharmaceutical leader with proven experience building and scaling both private and public companies,” said Lyn Baranowski, Chief Executive Officer of Avalyn. “His distinguished track record in commercial strategy and organizational leadership will be instrumental as we advance our Phase 2 programs, MIST for AP01 and AURA for AP02, and prepare for late-stage development and commercialization. Jon’s insights will help us efficiently execute our mission to deliver a new standard of care for patients with pulmonary fibrosis through targeted, better-tolerated inhaled therapies.”
“I am thrilled to join Avalyn’s Board and collaborate with such a talented and mission-driven team,” said Mr. Congleton. “Pulmonary fibrosis remains a devastating disease with limited treatment options and significant unmet need. It is truly distressing to understand how few patients with this deadly diagnosis are able to tolerate the existing oral medicines, underscoring the potential Avalyn has to transform standard of care in pulmonary fibrosis given the encouraging clinical data across its two lead programs.”
Mr. Congleton brings nearly 40 years of biopharmaceutical experience, with deep expertise in cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, and central nervous system (“CNS”) therapeutic areas, and a consistent focus on delivering innovative solutions for patients and their care partners. He has served as Chief Executive Officer for both private and public companies, demonstrating success in general management, global strategic marketing, brand development, corporate financing, and organizational leadership. Mr. Congleton currently serves as Chief Executive Officer and Board Member of Mineralys, a publicly traded biotechnology company focused on aldosterone-driven cardiorenal conditions. Prior to Mineralys, he served as Chief Executive Officer and Board Member of Impel Pharmaceuticals, a CNS-focused biotechnology company advancing novel upper nasal cavity drug delivery. He was also previously the Chief Executive Officer and a Board Member at Nivalis Therapeutics. Earlier in his career, he held roles of increasing responsibility at Teva Pharmaceuticals, where he was a member of the original U.S. launch team for Copaxone® in multiple sclerosis, led the Canadian and U.S. Teva Neuroscience businesses, and ultimately oversaw the global CNS franchise. Mr. Congleton holds a B.S. in marketing from Kansas State University.
About Avalyn Pharma
Avalyn aims to transform the treatment paradigm for pulmonary fibrosis and other serious, rare respiratory diseases. The company is advancing optimized inhaled formulations of established antifibrotic medicines designed to deliver drug directly to the lungs, enhance local efficacy, and reduce systemic side effects. Avalyn’s AP01 program is an optimized inhaled formulation of pirfenidone currently being evaluated in MIST, a global Phase 2b clinical trial in patients with progressive pulmonary fibrosis (“PPF”). AP01 has demonstrated encouraging tolerability and clinical activity across Phase 1b and an ongoing, multi-year open-label extension trial, with long-term data supporting the potential to preserve lung function while improving tolerability relative to historical oral pirfenidone data. Avalyn’s AP02 program is an optimized inhaled formulation of nintedanib currently being evaluated in AURA, a global Phase 2 clinical trial in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (“IPF”). Avalyn is also advancing AP03, an inhaled fixed-dose combination of pirfenidone and nintedanib, designed to deliver dual antifibrotic mechanisms through a single lung-targeted platform. By leveraging its proprietary drug-device approach and deep expertise in rare respiratory disease development, Avalyn aims to establish a new standard of care in pulmonary fibrosis through inhaled, lung-targeted therapies. For more information, please visit avalynpharma.com and follow the company on LinkedIn.
Investor Contact:
Cassie Saitow, Avalyn Pharma Inc.
Sr. Director, IR and Corporate Communications
ir@avalynpharma.com
Media Contact:
Kat Lippincott, Deerfield Group
kat.lippincott@deerfieldgroup.com
media@avalynpharma.com
