NGM Bio Announces Appointment of Wendy Yeh, M.D. as Chief Medical Officer

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  Dr. Yeh will oversee the continued clinical development of NGM Bio’s key programs, NGM120 for hyperemesis gravidarum and cancer cachexia, and aldafermin for primary sclerosing cholangitis

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., Feb. 04, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- NGM Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. (NGM Bio or Company) today announced that it has appointed Wendy Yeh, M.D. as Chief Medical Officer. A seasoned clinical development leader and accomplished clinician, Dr. Yeh will oversee the clinical, regulatory and biometrics functions at NGM Bio and lead the clinical development of the Company’s

key programs, NGM120 for hyperemesis gravidarum (HG) and cancer cachexia, and aldafermin for primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC). Dr. Yeh joins NGM Bio from Vir Biotechnology where she served as Senior Vice President of Clinical Development. Dr. Yeh’s appointment follows the planned departure of Hsiao D. Lieu, M.D., who stepped down to pursue another opportunity.

“We’re excited to welcome Dr. Wendy Yeh as NGM’s Chief Medical Officer. Wendy brings a diverse background and impressive track record that spans early- to late-stage clinical development,” said David J. Woodhouse, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer at NGM Bio. “As an experienced drug developer and a skilled clinician, Wendy has a profound passion to address unmet patient needs through the advancement of innovative therapeutics. Her background and approach are well aligned with our mission to deliver life-changing medicines, and we look forward to her stewardship of our clinical organization in the years ahead.”

Dr. Woodhouse continued, “I’d like to thank Hsiao for his leadership and many contributions to NGM and on behalf of patients over the past few years. We wish him much success in his new venture.”

Dr. Yeh commented, "I’m thrilled to join the NGM team and excited by the potential innovation NGM120 and aldafermin could deliver for patients. There are no effective approved therapeutics for hyperemesis gravidarum, cancer cachexia or primary sclerosing cholangitis. NGM120 and aldafermin exemplify NGM’s leadership in discovering and developing novel clinical candidates that target disease-modifying biology across a range of therapeutic areas, with the goal of bringing significant therapeutic impact. I look forward to working with David and the NGM team to advance the potential promise of NGM120 and aldafermin for patients in dire need of clinically meaningful therapeutic options.”

HG is a rare, debilitating condition of pregnancy characterized by intractable vomiting and nausea. NGM Bio’s EMERALD Phase 2 clinical study of NGM120, a GFRAL antagonist designed to block the hormone GDF15, in hyperemesis gravidarum is underway in the United Kingdom (ISRCTN76681798) and Australia (ACTRN12624001421527). Cachexia, which is defined by >5% weigh loss, is a complex, multifactorial, multi-organ complication of cancer and several other chronic diseases. 30% of cancer deaths list cachexia as the primary cause. NGM Bio plans to initiate a Phase 2 proof-of-concept clinical study of NGM120 in cancer cachexia in 2025. PSC is a rare liver disease that irreparably damages the bile ducts, leading to bile acid dysregulation and, ultimately, severe liver damage. NGM Bio continues to advance aldafermin, an engineered analog of the human hormone FGF19, toward a potential registrational trial in PSC.

Dr. Yeh is an experienced physician-scientist and drug developer who has led the successful clinical development and registration of multiple transformative medicines. She brings more than 20 years of experience in research and clinical development in immunology and infectious diseases. Prior to Vir Biotechnology, she held multiple positions of increasing responsibility at Merck and Principia Biopharma in Clinical Research working across multiple therapeutic areas. Before embarking on her industry career, Dr. Yeh was an Assistant Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, an Associate Physician at Brigham and Women's Hospital, and a Staff Physician at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston.

Dr. Yeh received a B.S. in Biological sciences from Stanford University and earned her M.D. from the University of Washington. Dr. Yeh completed her clinical training in Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital.

Abbreviations (in alphabetical order)

FGF19=fibroblast growth factor 19; GDF15=growth differentiation factor 15; GFRAL=glial cell-derived neurotrophic factor receptor alpha-like

About NGM Bio
NGM Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. (NGM Bio), a wholly owned subsidiary of NGM Bio Holdings, Inc., a clinical-stage, privately held biotechnology company, is focused on discovering and developing novel, life-changing medicines for people whose health and lives have been disrupted by disease. NGM Bio’s biology-centric drug discovery approach aims to seamlessly integrate interrogation of complex disease-associated biology and protein engineering expertise to unlock proprietary insights that are leveraged to generate promising product candidates, enable their rapid advancement into proof-of-concept studies and address high unmet patient need. Visit us at http://www.ngmbio.com for more information.