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Faith & CultureOur Galectin Therapeutics (NASDAQ:GALT) continues to advance and show promise: we’ve just dosed our first patient in a study of metastatic melanoma. And as George Budwell of The Motley Fool points out, as cases of fatty liver disease keep rising, so will the need for liver transplants. We’re proud to offer a cutting-edge, timely, alternative therapy.
Could Galectin Therapeutics Stock be Your Next Home Run?
by George Budwell
The Motley Fool
July 8, 2014
The wisdom of the so-called “buy and hold” strategy to equity investing will perhaps never go out of style. Besides the inherent tax advantages, it’s the only method known to produce exponential gains consistently over the long term.
Biotech investors are certainly aware of the rewards that come with buying and literally never selling promising companies, even as they go through the typical speed bumps associated with clinical and regulatory pathways. Investors that purchased the IPO of Intercept Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: ICPT ) in 2012 without selling in the interim, for example, have been richly rewarded with gains topping 1,000%.
Intercept’s parabolic move upward last January was catalyzed by its experimental treatment for nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), called obeticholic acid (OCA). As a refresher, the drug’s mid-stage trial was stopped early for efficacy, causing shares to jump over 500% in a single day.
What’s key to understand is that there are no approved treatments for NASH, despite the disease growing at a monstrous rate in most developed countries due mostly to the out of control obesity pandemic. Moreover, NAFLD (nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, of which NASH is the more severe form) is expected to outpace hepatitis C as the leading cause of liver transplants in the U.S. by 2020, showing the clear need for new treatments.
All told, the real reason Intercept shares skyrocketed is because the commercial opportunity for an effective NASH treatment is expected to easily exceed $2 billion a year, although the diagnosis of early stage cases still remains a real problem that could limit the commercial opportunity in the meantime.
Galectin is developing a treatment for advanced NASH with liver fibrosis Given the stunning success of Intercept, Wall Street has actively been looking for the next home run in this untapped market. Fortunately, there are several companies racing to follow in Intercept’s footsteps. Galectin Therapeutics (NASDAQ: GALT ) is a unique candidate among these contenders that investors might want to pay special attention to moving forward. Unlike other companies developing NASH drugs, Galectin is specifically targeting patients with advanced disease with liver fibrosis. Most importantly, Galectin is aiming to actually reverse liver fibrosis with its GAL-3 inhibitor, known as GR-MD-02.
To date, Galectin has completed enrollment for the second cohort in an early stage trial for GR-MD-02 as a potential treatment for NASH, with a top-line data readout expected by the end of next month. Previously, the company reported that the initial cohort of patients receiving the drug showed that it was both safe and well tolerated.
In sum, Galectin’s drug is in the early throes of clinical testing, but the market opportunity for NASH, compared to the company’s market cap of roughly $300 million, has caught the attention of Wall Street.
Foolish wrap-up I think Galectin is an intriguing speculative biopharma that could be a compelling buy and hold candidate. With early stage studies wrapping up, we should see a mid-stage trial soon that may lead to an early regulatory filing — akin to Intercept’s drug, especially since the company has been granted Fast Track status for GR-MD-02.
That being said, Galectin will more than likely need to raise money soon, given that it only had $36.6 million in cash and cash equivalents at the end of the first quarter. Furthermore, the NASH market has attracted big name biotechs like Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ: GILD ) that are developing their own competing therapies. Gilead’s experimental drug for NASH called “simtuzumab” is clinically more advanced than Galectin’s, meaning that GR-MD-02 will likely have to outperform competitors in order to gain market share.
In sum, Galectin is not without its risks moving forward, but its value proposition makes it a stock worth putting on your watchlist.
Rod is one of our nation’s leading minds. He’s smart, original, and very committed—a combination that one rarely finds.
Rod Martin and [former Howard Dean campaign manager] Joe Trippi are America’s two foremost experts on online politics.
Rod Martin is a Reaganite-Thatcherite conservative…[and] a man who has spent much of his life ministering to and working for the benefit of others. I know Rod as an advocate for freedom, a leader who understands the real changes we need in Washington, and who has the drive and ability to make those changes happen.
Rod Martin is the kind of dynamic leader who has the knowledge, ability and experience to lead us successfully into the 21st Century. His vision for America is compelling.
Rod Martin literally wrote the book on excellence. Humble yet brilliant, a man of love and compassion, with penetrating clarity he illuminates the world around us, and we are both stirred and enlightened.
Rod Martin is a born leader and an outstanding political mind. Anyone who takes him on is going to have a serious fight on their hands.
Rod Martin is a man of uncommon vision and character. Ever since I first worked alongside Rod in the early days of PayPal, I’ve been struck by his powerful vision for the future. Rod understands the intersection of technology, politics and culture in a way that few others do.
Rod Martin wears with uncommon grace an uncanny ability to link his vigorous faith to the practical challenges of both the business world and the political arena. Yet the respect he shows for others carries a warmth and modesty that are both too rare among those who are strong advocates of feisty positions.
America badly needs more leaders who really get the future. We need more Rod Martins.
Rod Martin is a modern day philosopher-statesman. He is a capitalist intellectual, a conservative iconoclast, a gentle adversary and a kind prophet. He inspires us towards a fresh national vision built upon the original founding principles.
Rod Martin is not only effective and efficient, but he is also perceptive, wise and gracious. He gets things done. He is a great friend and a great ally.
Rod is one of the sharpest, most gracious men I know, and one of the most gifted political thinkers today. His ability to analyze issues and communicate thoughtful insights on them have earned him the respect of people across the political spectrum.
I am proud to have been Rod Martin’s friend for a quarter century, and I can tell you that he is one of the finest men and most outstanding leaders in our church and in our country today. He has a knack for turning everything he touches to success.
Rod Martin is a cornucopian entrepreneur and eutropic thinker whose influence radiates through an array of companies, institutions, movements and churches. A renaissance American, he is also a prolific friend of freedom and faith around the globe.
If Rod Martin represents the next generation of leaders, America has nothing to worry about.
A leader and a servant, in public life and in private, Rod Martin strides at the top of his profession, and has nowhere to go but up. He is in the truest sense of the word ‘outstanding’.
Rod Martin is undoubtedly one of the most accomplished thought leaders today. He is a wonderful mentor, a humble role model, and a deep inspiration for the next generation of scientific innovators and entrepreneurs.
Rod’s achievements pale beside his character and his brilliance. He sees what others can’t. He leads when others won’t.
Rod Martin is one of America’s finest young minds.