It is estimated that about 125 people per million are living with mitochondrial disease today. Many of them have several severe symptoms from parts of the body that require a great deal of energy. Some develop the disease as a child, while others are diagnosed well into adulthood. The two symptoms that are most frequently cited by patients as burdensome are chronic fatigue and progressive muscle weakness. For some, the disease brings a shortened lifespan. Several measures have been taken to facilitate drug development in rare disease (e.g. the Orphan Drug Act), but for systemic mitochondrial disease there are no approved medicines available.

World Mitochondrial Disease Week 2023 takes place on September 18 – 24, this year with the theme: fatigue. During the week, Abliva will publish videos focused on the disease, the important role that patients play in drug development, and the company’s own drug development programs, including the ongoing FALCON study. Starting September 18, Abliva’s videos will be posted daily on the company’s website, https://abliva.com/posts/events-and-presentations/world-mitochondrial-disease-week-2023/, YouTube channel, and LinkedIn page.

World Mitochondrial Disease Week is an annual event that takes place during the third week of September. It is an initiative of the patient organization International mito patients (IMP), and individuals and local patient advocacy groups all over the world are engaged in spreading knowledge about the disease as well as advocacy and fundraising activities. Go to https://mitochondrialdiseaseweek.org for more information.