Palisade Bio Appoints Sharon Skare as Vice President, Global Head of Clinical Operations

Seasoned Pharmaceutical leader bringing over 24 years of experience in clinical development across autoimmune, metabolic, cardiovascular, and gastrointestinal indications

Company remains focused on advancing PALI-2108 in ulcerative colitis and fibrostenotic Crohn’s disease, with Phase 2 IND submission planned for H1 2026

Carlsbad, CA, Oct. 28, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Palisade Bio, Inc. (Nasdaq: PALI) (“Palisade” or the “Company”), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing precision therapies for autoimmune, inflammatory, and fibrotic diseases, today announced the appointment of Sharon Skare, PhD(c) as Vice President, Global Head of Clinical Operations.

Ms. Skare brings more than 24 years of leadership experience in global clinical development and operations across large and emerging biotechnology companies. Her expertise spans autoimmune, metabolic, gastrointestinal, and fibrotic diseases, with a track record of successfully delivering programs from early development through regulatory approval, commercialization, and post-marketing submissions. She has served seven years as a department head within Clinical Operations and has been instrumental in multiple global inspection-readiness initiatives and post-approval filings for therapies in ulcerative colitis and diabetes.

“We are thrilled to welcome Sharon to Palisade Bio,” said Dr. Mitchell Jones, MD, PhD, Chief Medical Officer of Palisade Bio. “Her extensive experience leading global clinical operations in IBD and her proven success guiding programs through pivotal phases and inspections will be invaluable as we advance PALI-2108 into our planned Phase 2 studies. Sharon’s leadership will strengthen our operational infrastructure and accelerate our progress toward key clinical and regulatory milestones.”

“I’m excited to join Palisade at this pivotal stage in its evolution,” said Ms. Skare. “With ulcerative colitis and fibrostenotic Crohn’s disease affecting millions worldwide, there remains a pressing need for new therapies that combine efficacy with tolerability. The growing body of data for PALI-2108 and its targeted oral delivery profile represent an exciting opportunity to redefine treatment for patients with IBD. I look forward to leveraging my global operations experience to drive executional excellence and help realize the full potential of this first-in-class program.”

Ms. Skare most recently served as Vice President and Global Head of Clinical Operations at Abivax, where she oversaw global Phase 3 and Phase 2 programs in ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease. Previously, Ms. Skare held senior leadership positions at Pfizer and Arena Pharmaceuticals, where she led the global clinical operations program for Etrasimod, an oral, selective S1P receptor modulator for ulcerative colitis, now approved as Velsipity™. She earned Pfizer’s Craig A. Saxton Clinical Development Excellence Award and 12 additional company recognitions for clinical development excellence and operational leadership. Sharon served as head of clinical operations at Elcelyx Therapeutics, advancing a delayed-release metformin formulation for Type 2 diabetes from proof of concept through End-of-Phase 2 alignment with the FDA. Early in her career Ms. Skare was part of the core clinical operations and clinical science teams at Amylin Pharmaceuticals through the development and approval of Byetta^®, the first GLP-1 agonist, and Symlin^®, the first non-insulin treatment indicated for Type 1 diabetes. She also held clinical research roles at PPD and Clinimetrics Research Associates.

Palisade Bio is currently advancing PALI-2108, an orally administered, prodrug engineered for local delivery of phosphodiesterase-4 (PDE4) inhibition to the terminal ileum and colon. The prodrug molecule is designed to be gut-restricted and pharmacologically inactive until it reaches the lower intestine, where it is cleaved by bacterial enzymes to release its active PDE4 inhibitor metabolite directly at the site of inflammation and fibrosis. This targeted and slow-release design is intended to prevent absorption through the upper gut, achieve sustained local exposure and a longer half-life that enables once-daily dosing, and is engineered to produce a blunted peak plasma concentration to improve the overall therapeutic index. Together, these properties are intended to maximize anti-inflammatory and anti-fibrotic effects while minimizing systemic exposure and reducing class-related tolerability issues, such as nausea and headache, that have limited systemic PDE4 inhibitors.

The Company recently completed a Phase 1a/1b study of PALI-2108 for ulcerative colitis (UC) and reported positive data (clinicaltrials.gov NCT06663605). A Phase 1b study of PALI-2108 is currently underway for the treatment of fibrostenotic Crohn’s disease (FSCD). Data from studies are expected to support Phase 2 Investigational New Drug (IND) submissions to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the first half of 2026.

About Palisade Bio

Palisade Bio is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and advancing novel therapeutics for patients living with autoimmune, inflammatory, and fibrotic diseases. The Company believes that by using a targeted approach with its novel therapeutics it will transform the treatment landscape. For more information, please go to www.palisadebio.com.

Forward Looking Statements

Any statements contained in this communication that are not statements of historical fact may be deemed to be forward-looking statements for purposes of the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements include but are not limited to: statements regarding the timing and results of clinical trials, the potential mechanisms of action and therapeutic benefits of PALI-2108, and plans for regulatory submissions. These forward-looking statements are based on the Company’s current expectations. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those reflected in the Company’s forward-looking statements include, among others, the timing of enrollment, commencement and completion of the Company’s clinical trials; the Company’s reliance on PALI-2108, and its early stage of clinical development; the risk that prior results, such as signals of safety, activity, dosing or durability of effect, observed from preclinical or clinical trials, will not be replicated or will not continue in ongoing or future studies or clinical trials involving the Company’s product candidates in clinical trials focused on the same or different indications; and other factors that are described in the “Risk Factors” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” sections of the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) on March 24, 2025, and the Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q or other SEC filings that are filed thereafter. Investors are cautioned not to put undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date hereof, and the Company expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statements contained herein to reflect any change in the Company’s expectations with regard thereto or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statements are based.

Investor Relations Contact

JTC Team, LLC
Jenene Thomas
908-824-0775
PALI@jtcir.com

Source: Palisade Bio

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