Peter Garcia
CatalYm has appointed biotechnology finance veteran Peter Garcia as Chief Financial Officer, adding an experienced capital markets and life sciences executive as the company advances multiple late-stage clinical programs for its lead oncology candidate, visugromab.
The appointment comes as the Munich- and San Francisco-based biotechnology company expands global operations and advances four ongoing Phase 2b studies evaluating visugromab, a first-in-class anti-GDF-15 antibody being developed for solid tumors and cancer cachexia.
“Pete joins CatalYm at an important stage of growth for our company, with multiple late-stage clinical studies of our lead anti-GDF-15 antibody, visugromab, underway and continued global expansion across the organization,” said Scott Clarke, chief executive officer of CatalYm. “He is an accomplished biotechnology executive with deep expertise in capital formation, strategic planning, and operational execution. Pete has consistently helped innovative biotech companies navigate periods of growth and major value inflection points.”
Garcia brings more than 30 years of financial leadership experience across the biotechnology and oncology sectors. Throughout his career, he has led financings, public offerings, strategic transactions, and finance organization development to support clinical-stage and commercial biopharmaceutical companies.
Most recently, Garcia served as chief financial officer of Bluejay Therapeutics, where he oversaw financing activities and preparations for an initial public offering before the company was acquired by Mirum Pharmaceuticals. Prior to Bluejay, he was chief financial officer of ALX Oncology Holdings, helping lead the company through its public market debut.
Earlier in his career, Garcia served as chief financial officer of PDL BioPharma and held senior finance and controller positions at Amgen. Across multiple leadership roles, he has raised more than $2.5 billion through debt and equity financings, including two initial public offerings, follow-on equity offerings, private placements, convertible debt transactions, and structured credit facilities.
His board experience includes service with DURECT Corporation, which was later acquired by Bausch Health Companies, as well as Noden Pharma DAC and LENSAR.
“The growing body of clinical data of visugromab continues to highlight the therapeutic potential of targeting GDF-15 to restore anti-tumor immune response while addressing the significant burden of cancer cachexia,” Garcia said. “CatalYm’s broad late-stage clinical development with four ongoing trials provides significant opportunity to improve patient outcomes and is entering an important phase of value creation. I am honored to join CatalYm and help ensure the company is strategically and financially positioned to maximize these opportunities for patients and stakeholders alike.”
Garcia joins CatalYm at a critical stage for the company’s lead therapeutic program. Visugromab is designed to target growth differentiation factor 15 (GDF-15), a protein associated with immune suppression and cancer-related cachexia. The company reported encouraging results from its Phase 1/2a study, where the therapy demonstrated anti-tumor activity in relapsed and checkpoint-refractory metastatic solid tumor patients when combined with anti-PD-1 treatment. The study also showed potential benefits in addressing cachexia, a debilitating condition characterized by severe weight and muscle loss that commonly affects cancer patients.
CatalYm is currently conducting Phase 2b studies evaluating visugromab in first-line and second-line metastatic non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer, second-line hepatocellular carcinoma, and cancer cachexia.
Founded in 2016, CatalYm focuses on developing therapies that target immune suppression mechanisms within the tumor microenvironment. The company is backed by a group of international healthcare investors, including Canaan Partners, Omega Funds, Forbion, Jeito Capital, Novartis Venture Fund, Gilde Healthcare, Brandon Capital, and others.
With multiple mid-stage clinical trials underway and expanding operational requirements, Garcia’s appointment strengthens CatalYm’s leadership team as it advances toward potential future development, financing, and commercialization milestones.