A National Alliance for Rare Diseases Support was set up today with the backing of  Sean Hepburn Ferrer, the eldest son of the late actress and philanthropist Audrey Hepburn and Mel Ferrer, actor, film director and producer.

Audrey Hepburn  passed away after suffering pseudomyxoma peritonei, a rare form of cancer.

The national alliance was set up by the Marigold Foundation, headed by Michelle Muscat, the prime minister's wife.

She told a press conference that there are some 600 different rare disease in Malta and the patients as well as their families needed support. In many cases, these diseases had no cure, but patients could benefit greatly from support.

The purpose of the alliance is not to provide financial aid, but to source support which could include fighting loneliness and exchanging experiences.

Mr Hepburn Ferrer underlined the importance of such support groups pointing to loneliness as one of the biggest problems which patients faced. (See video below).