Cambridge Company Gets $33 Million For Obesity Drug Trials
BOSTON (CBS) - Zafgen, Inc., a developer of treatments for obesity, has closed a $33 million series C venture capital funding round that is designed to take its lead drug candidate into Phase 2 trials.
"We appreciate the tremendous support we have received from our current investors over the years, and we are pleased to gain their endorsement of our plans and continuing efforts to develop new therapies for severe obesity and related diseases," Zafgen CEO Thomas Hughes said in a statement.
Cambridge-based Zafgen's technology is designed to target imbalances in fat metabolism, and company executives say their goal is to develop drugs that can serve as an alternative to bariatric surgery.
Lisa van der Pool of The Boston Business Journal reports
Zafgen says studies show once a person becomes obese, the body undergoes certain metabolic changes and is "programmed" to make and store more fat, making it much more difficult to reduce body weight.
Related: Mass. 4th Thinnest State In New Obesity Study
Zafgen recently released data from a Phase 1b study showing patients lost an average of 1 kg (2.2 pounds) per week, and also reduced patients' cardiovascular risk markers.
The company expects to launch Phase 2 trials for its lead drug candidate in obese patients and obese diabetic patients in the next six to 12 months.
The Centers for Disease Control estimates that as of 2008, 34 percent of American adults were obese.
