On January 20, 2026, Lily Cheung, serving as the Chief Human Resource Officer of Pliant Therapeutics, INC. (NASDAQ:PLRX), executed a sale of 7,534 common stock shares. The transaction generated gross proceeds of $9,643, with individual share prices fluctuating between $1.245 and $1.33 during the sale period. Following this disposal, Cheung retains a direct ownership position of 44,847 shares, which notably includes 1,956 shares obtained via the company's Employee Stock Purchase Plan.
In a significant development related to its research and development pipeline, Pliant Therapeutics has reported interim positive outcomes from a Phase 1 clinical trial involving its experimental compound PLN-101095. This drug, when administered in combination with pembrolizumab, exhibited encouraging anti-tumor effects in individuals with advanced solid tumors that had previously shown resistance to immune checkpoint inhibitors. Specifically, among ten participants categorized as secondary immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI)-refractory, the trial observed one complete response and three partial responses, spanning multiple cancer types.
In addition to clinical updates, Pliant has undergone notable shifts in its executive leadership. Minnie Kuo has been appointed as the company's chief operating officer effective immediately, transitioning from her prior position as chief development officer. Meanwhile, the medical leadership has seen changes as Dr. Éric Lefebvre ended his tenure as chief medical officer on December 15, 2025, though he continues with the company in a consulting capacity to facilitate a smooth transition. Separately, the resignation of chief business officer Hans Hull was announced, with the company clarifying that his departure was not related to any disputes regarding corporate governance or operational matters. All these personnel changes have been formally documented in recent Securities and Exchange Commission filings.