“Although new antiviral agents are in development, therapies are needed to reduce liver injury in patients with chronic hepatitis and to reduce inflammation and fibrosis,” said Dr Edward Gane, associate professor of Medicine, New Zealand Liver Transplant Unit at Auckland City Hospital.
“MitoQ's novel mechanism of action may provide an additional option to treat these occurrences as newer therapies become available.”
The trial will enroll 36 patients, who have hepatitis C (HCV) but have been unresponsive to, or unsuitable for, treatment with pegylated interferon plus ribavirin.
The primary endpoint will be the change in the level of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), a liver enzyme that is produced in higher amounts when the liver is inflamed, at the end of the treatment period compared with baseline.
“Mitochondrial protective agents and mitochondria-directed antioxidants represent a unique direction for the development of drug candidates that can modify the pathogenesis of chronic hepatitis C,” said Dr Ken Taylor, CEO of Antipodean.
“We believe that MitoQ could be used to halt or decrease liver inflammation and fibrosis progression, even in the absence of sustained virologic response.”
Evidence shows that HCV can directly alter mitochondrial function leading to increased reactive oxygen species production that can lead to scarring of the liver and cirrhosis.