We're looking at — and targeting — obesity in a totally different way
Obesity is one of the most serious and complex diseases we face. While diet and exercise are the first line of treatment for overweight and obesity, many people need more options to achieve and maintain a healthy weight. Current prescription and over-the-counter medicines help some, but the vast majority of people who choose these therapies rebound and continue to gain weight.
Bariatric surgery is another popular option. Yet, too many patients who could benefit most from this procedure are not eligible because of complications associated with the most severe forms of obesity. Furthermore, others who are eligible cannot afford the surgery.
With obesity on the rise and significant needs remaining, scientists are looking for solutions that target the biological basis of the disease and offer new hope for those with its most severe forms. Zafgen is working with the world's leading obesity and metabolic scientists to meet this challenge.
Targeting the biology of obesity
Zafgen is the world's first biopharmaceutical company dedicated to developing novel obesity therapies that directly target and shrink fat tissue to help the body regain and sustain a lean, healthy state.
Re-establishing balance to eliminate fat
Individuals who are obese face numerous challenges, including biological changes in the way that their body stores and releases fatty acids for use as fuel. In an obese person, lipids circulate in the bloodstream to the liver, which packages the lipids as fat and transports that fat to be stored in the adipose tissue.
Beloranib, our novel obesity therapy, is the first compound in its class that re-establishes balance to the ways the body packages and metabolizes fat. It works by targeting a key enzyme called methione aminopeptidase 2 (MetAP2) that controls the production and utilization of fatty acids. Inhibitors of MetAP2 reduce the production of new fatty acid molecules by the liver and help to convert stored fats into useful energy.
