Galectin Therapeutics Inc. announced new results from the Phase 2b NAVIGATE trial evaluating belapectin, a galectin-3 inhibitor, in patients with compensated MASH cirrhosis and portal hypertension. The data were presented at the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD) 2025 Annual Meeting. In the 18-month, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial involving 355 patients, belapectin 2 mg/kg demonstrated consistent antifibrotic effects, including sustained improvements in liver stiffness and reductions in multiple serum biomarkers such as ELF, PRO-C3, and YKL-40. The rate of adverse events and serious adverse events was comparable to placebo, with no drug-related serious adverse events reported. Additionally, a lower proportion of patients treated with belapectin 2 mg/kg experienced clinically significant increases in liver stiffness compared to placebo, and the treatment was associated with a sustained reduction in new variceal development for patients completing 36 months of therapy.