Zafgen Announces Transition of Board of Directors

Zafgen, Inc. ZFGN, a biopharmaceutical company dedicated to significantly improving the health and well-being of patients affected by obesity, today announced the appointment of Robert Perez and Geoffrey McDonough, M.D., to its Board of Directors. Mr. Perez is the former Chief Executive Officer of Cubist Pharmaceuticals, and brings over 28 years of experience from various leadership and senior management positions in the life sciences industry. Mr. Perez has a wealth of experience in guiding corporate strategy in the biotechnology industry, with a focus on drug development and commercialization. Prior to joining Cubist, Mr. Perez served as Vice President of the CNS Business Unit at Biogen, where he was responsible for leading the U.S. neurology franchise. From 1995 to 2001 he served as a Regional Director, Director of Sales, and Avonex Commercial Executive at Biogen. From 1987 to 1995, Mr. Perez held various sales and marketing positions at Zeneca Pharmaceuticals. Dr. McDonough is President and Chief Executive Officer of Swedish Orphan Biovitrum AB (Sobi), a leading international healthcare company focused on rare diseases. Dr. McDonough brings more than 13 years of leadership experience in rare and genetic disorders, having previously spent nearly a decade at Genzyme, now part of Sanofi, where he led the rare genetic disease business unit and subsequently served as President of Europe, Middle East and Africa with operations in 55 countries and a portfolio of 15 leading biotechnology and specialty products. Prior to joining Genzyme, Dr. McDonough worked as a physician in the U.S., and also has experience as a medical technology entrepreneur and as an adviser for RA Capital Management. "As the Zafgen organization continues to grow and mature as a public company, we are very pleased to appoint Rob and Geoff to our Board of Directors," said Thomas Hughes, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of Zafgen. "Both executives bring deep industry experience to our board which will prove invaluable as we advance our programs and strive to help improve the lives of patients impacted by obesity and complex metabolic disorders." "I am excited to join the Zafgen board, a leading company in the obesity and metabolic disease space," said Robert Perez. "I look forward to working closely with the outstanding team of management and other board members." "Zafgen is entering a period of dynamic growth with data from two important clinical trials in the coming months," said Dr. McDonough. "I hope to contribute to the strategy in Prader-Willi syndrome and hypothalamic injury-associated obesity and other complex metabolic disorders, and to the transition to an integrated commercial organization." Mr. Perez received his M.B.A. from the UCLA Anderson School of Management, and a B.S. in Business/Marketing from California State University-Los Angeles. He is a Director at AMAG Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Flex Pharma, Inc. He is also a Trustee of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and a Director of Cidara Therapeutics, Inc., College Bound Dorchester, the Biomedical Science Careers Program, and a member of the Board of Advisors of Citizen Schools of Massachusetts. Dr. McDonough received his M.D. in medicine/pediatrics from Harvard Medical School and completed a combined residency program in medicine and pediatrics at Massachusetts General Hospital and Boston Children's Hospital. He received his B.A. in Philosophy with Highest Honors and a B.S. with Highest Distinction in Biology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In addition, Kevin Starr and Avi Goldberg will be resigning from Zafgen's Board of Directors effective as of December 8, 2015 as we transition the board with the appointment of Robert Perez and Geoffrey McDonough, M.D. "We want to thank Kevin and Avi for their long service to the Zafgen Board of Directors," said Peter Barrett, Chairman of the Board of Zafgen. "Kevin and Avi have contributed greatly to the strategy and growth of the Company."