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Redx Pharma Ltd, a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on developing novel, small molecule, targeted medicines for fibrotic disease, announced the appointment of Mei-Lun Wang, as chief medical officer (CMO) on a permanent basis, further strengthening the company’s clinical leadership and gastroenterology expertise. This complements the appointment of Bernard Coulie, MD, also a gastroenterologist, to the board of directors of the company, as announced on the 27 August 2026.
Dr. Wang, CMO, Redx Pharma commented: “I am thrilled to join Redx at such an exciting time in the Company’s journey. The opportunity to help advance a novel therapy for patients living with fibrostenotic Crohn’s disease – an area of significant unmet medical need – is incredibly compelling. RXC008 is one of the most exciting programs in the inflammatory bowel disease landscape and I look forward to working with the team with the goal to generate clinical evidence and establish a regulatory framework to bring a new therapeutic treatment option to patients. For many patients, surgery is often their only option; so together we have the opportunity to make a meaningful difference for people affected by this challenging disease.”
Dr. Wang is a US-based paediatric gastroenterologist who completed her fellowship training at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, where she was an Assistant Professor of Paediatrics at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. With over 25 years’ experience, Dr. Wang has spent 12 years in drug development at both big pharma and small biotech companies, leading Immunology & Inflammation (I&I) programs through early-stage clinical trials and post-approval commitment studies. As an expert in gastroenterology, Dr. Wang will collaborate with the STAR consortium (Stenosis Therapy and Anti-Fibrotic Research), a collaboration of academicians, clinicians and pharma companies who are actively engaged in research and supporting the establishment of a regulatory pathway for new therapies targeting fibrostenotic Crohn’s disease.
Dr. Florian Rieder, Principal Investigator for the RXC008 Phase 2 trial and co-founder of the STAR Consortium commented: “I am delighted to be working with Dr. Wang on the RXC008 clinical trial, and the STAR Consortium is proud to support her and the Redx development programme. Dr. Wang is highly respected within the gastroenterology community and her expertise and leadership from both a clinical and drug development perspective will be invaluable as we advance the RXC008 phase 2 trial. I look forward to working together to advance this promising, novel therapeutic treatment option towards delivering meaningful outcomes for patients.”
Rho-associated coiled-coil forming protein kinase (ROCK) is well established as an anti-fibrotic target and is known to consist of two isoforms, ROCK 1 and 2. RXC008 is a potent, oral, small molecule non-systemic ROCK1/2 inhibitor designed to avoid the significant cardiovascular side effects of systemic pan-ROCK inhibitors, including tachycardia and hypotension, by being restricted to the GI-tract via high efflux and low permeability. This results in virtually no systemic breakthrough, with the molecule being rapidly metabolised by paraoxonase enzymes in the plasma should any breakthrough occur. Data from the Phase 1 trial showed favourable tolerability and tissue exposure with no clinically relevant breakthrough or hypotension observed, and a favourable safety profile with no serious adverse events. RXC008 has an open IND in the US and was granted FDA fast track designation in January 2026. RXC008 is anticipated to commence a phase 2 clinical trial in the fourth quarter of 2026, with topline data expected in mid-2028.
Fibrostenotic Crohn's disease affects 1.7 million people globally and over 70,000 new cases are diagnosed each year. More than 50% of patients with Crohn's disease can develop significant fibrosis and stricture formation within ten years after diagnosis; this fibrosis associated with Crohn's disease is known as fibrostenotic Crohn's disease (FSCD). The current management of fibrotic strictures of the gastrointestinal tract is primarily surgical as no drugs are specifically approved to tackle fibrosis, which can progress despite intervention with current standard of care anti-inflammatory therapies. Once a patient is suffering from FSCD, healthcare costs can increase by more than an additional $80k per patient per year due to additional hospitalizations and treatment compared to non-fibrotic Crohn’s disease, creating a health economic burden in this area of high unmet need.
Redx Pharma has a leading position in therapies targeting the ROCK pathway and its lead asset RXC008, a gut-restricted pan-ROCK inhibitor for the treatment of fibrostenotic Crohn's disease, is anticipated to commence a phase 2 clinical trial in the fourth quarter of 2026.
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