BOSTON, Feb. 29, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Zafgen Inc., a biopharmaceutical company dedicated to significantly improving the health and well-being of patients affected by obesity and complex metabolic disorders, today announced its ongoing support of patients with rare diseases – including the Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) community – by joining the National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD) and others around the world in observing Rare Disease Day on February 29, 2016.
“We know that many people living with Rare Diseases are seeking better care and treatment options and we remain committed to researching treatments for rare metabolic disorders like PWS,” said Thomas Hughes, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of Zafgen. “We are honored to partner with the Rare Disease and PWS communities to amplify their collective voices about what it’s like to live with these diseases.”
This year, Zafgen will participate in Rare Disease Day by attending events by taking place at the Massachusetts State House which are designed to raise awareness at the state level for the one-in-ten individuals living with a rare disease and the challenges that they face.
According to the National Institute of Health (NIH), an estimated 25 million people in the U.S. have rare diseases.
About Prader-Willi Syndrome
PWS is the most common genetic cause of life-threatening obesity. Pathologic hunger-related behaviors, known as hyperphagia, dominate the lives of individuals with PWS, and drive patients to engage in problematic behaviors which can lead to excessive overeating, choking, and stomach rupture. Compounding the morbid obesity in PWS is slowed metabolism, psychiatric conditions including aggression, anxiety, and psychosis, higher risk for cardiopulmonary and metabolic co-morbidities; all of which contribute to a higher risk of obesity-related mortality.
About Zafgen
Zafgen (Nasdaq:ZFGN) is a biopharmaceutical company dedicated to significantly improving the health and well-being of patients affected by obesity and complex metabolic disorders. Zafgen is focused on developing novel therapeutics that treat the underlying biological mechanisms through the MetAP2 pathway. Beloranib, Zafgen's lead product candidate, is a novel, first-in-class, twice-weekly subcutaneous injection being developed for the treatment of multiple indications, including severe obesity in two rare diseases, Prader-Willi syndrome and obesity caused by hypothalamic injury, including craniopharyngioma-associated obesity; and severe obesity in the general population. Zafgen is also developing ZGN-839, a liver-targeted MetAP2 inhibitor, for the treatment of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, or NASH, and abdominal obesity, as well as second-generation MetAP2 inhibitors. Zafgen aspires to improve the lives of patients through targeted treatments and has assembled a team accomplished in bringing therapies to patients with both rare and prevalent metabolic diseases.