Poolbeg Pharma PLC (AIM: POLB, OTC: POLBF) Chief Executive Officer Jeremy Skillington and Principal Scientist Liam Tremble talked with Share Talk’s Zak Mir about the company’s conference season.
We recently returned from a busy conference season and wanted to share the main messages, progress and next steps for POLB001 and our oral GLP-1 programme. Between ESMO in Berlin and BioEurope in Barcelona, we gained clinical insights, interest in partnering, and clarity on trial design as we prepare for a phase 2A CRS prevention trial and a proof-of-concept study for oral GLP-1.
Please see the questions for the interview:
- You recently attended the ESMO conference. Can you give us an overview of the conference – Liam
- Did you discuss POLB 001 at ESMO, and what was the general feedback? – Liam
- What were the key takeaways from the conference itself? – Liam
- Which leads me onto you, Jeremy, you just returned from BIO-Europe, how was the conference, and how do your current programmes, such as POLB 001 and your Oral GLP1 position itself, stand out at this partnering conference? – Jeremy
- BIO-Europe is all about connections. What types of partnerships are you seeking this year? You recently announced a collaboration with ACT to conduct your upcoming POLB 001 Phase 2a trial —so why attend the conference? Jeremy
- Is conference season over? Jeremy & Liam
Conference calendar and next events
The autumn run is not over. After BioEurope we planned continued follow ups at London Health Innovation Week and then the very significant ASH meeting in early December in Orlando. ASH is the major haemato‑oncology event where big pharma present emerging data and where clinical teams, investigators and partners congregate. We also have JP Morgan and other investor events on the horizon into the new year.
Biotech sentiment: the market is warming up
Across conversations there was clear evidence of improving sentiment in biotech. The XBI biotech index has moved from lows seen during the sector winter and more financing, M&A and business development activity is returning to the market. Large acquirers are willing to spend to secure promising early stage assets, which helps re‑energise venture capital flows and company formation. That increased activity benefits innovators developing differentiated medicines such as POLB001 and oral GLP-1 candidates.
Closing thoughts
Conferences have been hugely valuable in validating the clinical need for POLB001 and in catalysing partner conversations. Clinicians are telling us that CRS prevention is a real unmet need as immunotherapies get more potent, and we are positioning POLB001 to be a practical solution in multiple myeloma and potentially in solid tumour settings. At the same time, progress on the oral GLP-1 programme represents a separate, high‑value opportunity that could be transformative if clinical data meet expectations.
We will keep executing on trial set up, clinical partnerships and manufacturing, and look forward to sharing data and updates as milestones are reached.
