BOSTON, April 27, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Avalyn Pharma Inc., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company pioneering inhaled therapies to transform the treatment paradigm for serious, rare respiratory diseases, today announced two appointments that further strengthen its leadership team as the company advances its clinical programs and prepares for future commercialization. Adam Golden, a seasoned legal and business adviser with over three decades of experience advising biopharma companies, was appointed General Counsel and Head of Business Development. Frank Salisbury, an established leader in launching multiple FDA-approved therapies, including ESBRIET® (pirfenidone) for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), was appointed Senior Vice President, Commercial.
“We are thrilled to welcome Adam and Frank to Avalyn at this important stage in our evolution,” said Lyn Baranowski, Chief Executive Officer of Avalyn. “Adam brings deep legal experience guiding life sciences companies through critical inflection points involving business development and legal strategy, all of which will be invaluable as we transition to life as a public company. Frank has a proven track record of building and leading commercial organizations for innovative respiratory treatments, including oral pirfenidone for IPF and sotatercept for PAH. Their expertise strengthens our ability to execute across corporate strategy, business operations, and commercial readiness as we advance our pipeline and position Avalyn for long-term success.”
Adam Golden has over 30 years of experience advising biopharma companies, spanning legal, business development, and corporate strategy. Prior to joining Avalyn, Mr. Golden was a Partner and Global Head of Life Sciences at Freshfields LLP, where he founded and led the build-out of an internationally recognized life sciences practice. Previously, he served as Partner and Head of the New York Corporate Practice Group at Hogan Lovells, and spent over two decades at Kaye Scholer, where he held multiple roles, including Partner and Co-Chair, Corporate Department. Over the course of his career, Mr. Golden has advised on mergers and acquisitions, strategic collaborations, corporate governance, and SEC compliance. He currently serves on the Board of Advisors for Life Science Cares. Mr. Golden holds a J.D. from New York University School of Law and an A.B. in Chemistry from Princeton University.
Frank Salisbury brings more than 24 years of commercial leadership experience across biotechnology and large pharmaceutical companies, with a focus on rare respiratory diseases. Over the course of his career, he has played a key role in the launch and commercialization of multiple therapies. At InterMune/Genentech, he led the U.S. launch and served as National Head of Sales for ESBRIET® (pirfenidone) in IPF. He also held senior commercial roles at Acceleron Pharma, where he supported the launch of WINREVAIR® for pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), as well as at Actelion, where he played a core role in the commercialization of OPSUMIT® (macitentan) for PAH. He joins Avalyn from PureTech Health, where he was the Senior Vice President for Commercial and Product Strategy. Mr. Salisbury earned a B.A. in International Relations and an M.B.A. from Stanford University, and was a Fulbright Scholar in Germany, where he studied HIV prevention interventions.
About Avalyn Pharma
Avalyn aims to transform the treatment paradigm for pulmonary fibrosis and other serious, rare respiratory diseases. The company is advancing optimized inhaled formulations of established antifibrotic medicines designed to deliver drug directly to the lungs, enhance local efficacy, and reduce systemic side effects. Avalyn’s AP01 program is an optimized inhaled formulation of pirfenidone currently being evaluated in MIST, a global Phase 2b clinical trial in patients with progressive pulmonary fibrosis (PPF). AP01 has demonstrated encouraging tolerability and clinical activity across Phase 1b and an ongoing, multi-year open-label extension trial, with long-term data supporting the potential to preserve lung function while improving tolerability relative to historical oral pirfenidone data. Avalyn’s AP02 program is an optimized inhaled formulation of nintedanib currently being evaluated in AURA, a global Phase 2 clinical trial in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). Avalyn is also advancing AP03, an inhaled fixed-dose combination of pirfenidone and nintedanib, designed to deliver dual antifibrotic mechanisms through a single lung-targeted platform. By leveraging its proprietary drug-device approach and deep expertise in rare respiratory disease development, Avalyn aims to establish a new standard of care in pulmonary fibrosis through inhaled, lung-targeted therapies. For more information, please visit avalynpharma.com and follow the company on LinkedIn.
Investor Contact:
Cassie Saitow, Avalyn Pharma Inc.
Sr. Director, IR and Corporate Communications
[email protected]
Media Contact:
Kat Lippincott, Deerfield Group
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