July 22, 2016 — Targeting obesity with new treatments presents remarkable challenges. For evidence of this harsh reality, look at the sharply contrasting news this week for two potential new drugs: beloranib and setmelanotide. All work on beloranib was canceled by its developer, Zafgen. Almost simultaneously, Rhythm Pharmaceuticals published breakthrough results in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) […]
January 23, 2016 — The folks at Zafgen released a glimmer of hope for beloranib this week. On Wednesday, Zafgen announced that this investigational new drug met its two primary efficacy endpoints in the pivotal clinical trial for treating Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS). In December, that trial was halted after a second patient suffered a fatal blood clot in the […]
December 5, 2015 — This week brought another dose of bad news for everyone with an interest in Zafgen’s obesity drug, beloranib. A second patient taking the drug in a study of its use for treating Prader-Willi syndrome has died from a blood clot. Zafgen CEO Thomas Hughes said: Our thoughts are with the patient and their family at […]
October 24, 2015 — Zafgen, a small biotech company “dedicated to the treatment of obesity,” is learning about the risks of their strategy of focusing on drug development for severe obesity. We’ve commented before that their focus is impressive and now it’s being tested. The pivotal randomized controlled trial (RCT) of the lead Zafgen obesity drug, beloranib, was halted after […]
January 9, 2015 — Zafgen — a young biotech company “dedicated to severe obesity treatment” — quietly continues to make progress in efficacy studies of beloranib. This week, the company announced positive results of a third phase II study in a third distinct population of patients severely affected by obesity. This study involved patients with obesity resulting from injuries to […]
August 21, 2014 — The current focus of obesity treatment strategy “is like putting sunscreen on melanoma — it’s too late.” Those words came from Zafgen CEO Tom Hughes when describing the relentless insistence in relying upon diet and exercise to treat obesity, often to the exclusion of other options. He went on to say: In general over the years, people have regarded obesity […]
April 25, 2014 — Zafgen — a young biotech company from Cambridge, MA — is preparing for two big milestones this year. A phase 3 clinical trial of its injectable obesity drug is due to start. The company has filed plans to go public with a stock offering that could raise as much as $86 million. Stock analysts are prone to […]
