Antipodean Pharmaceuticals has initiated Phase II clinical trials to test the efficacy of its lead compound MitoQ (mitoquinone) in patients with Parkinson's disease in New Zealand and Australia.

Criteria for inclusion in the trial will focus on people who meet the diagnosis of Parkinson's, but have yet to receive any treatment to relieve symptoms.

MitoQ, is based on a novel technology, targeted lipophilic cations, that transport and concentrate antioxidants into the mitochondria where they accumulate up to 1000-fold. There they have been shown to significantly interrupt oxidative damage, which is implicated as a catalyst in Parkinson's and other neurological diseases.