Longevity supplements report: MitoQ

MitoQ are empowering health and maintaining high performance with mitochondria-targeted antioxidant supplements, getting to the core of the body’s powerhouses.

Over the coming weeks, we will be bringing you extracts of 11 company profiles from our Longevity Supplements Report. Each profile includes an assessment of Pre-Clinical and Clinical Studies, Safety and Risks, Target Market and Success Factors and the target Hallmark(s) of Aging for one of their key products.

We also study each company’s IP, team, UVP, product efficacy, competitive advantage, runway and inflection point, and much more. Here’s the lowdown on MitoQ.
To view a full size version of MitoQ’s profile please click here.

Longevity Supplements 1.0 MitoQ Summary
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MitoQ’s mission statement expresses the belief that with powerful mitochondria, everyone can optimise their health and wellbeing to live better, do more of what is important to them and maintain high performance for longer. They have created MitoQ, the world’s first mitochondria-targeted antioxidant with the objective of empowering the health and ambitions of every body.

The MitoQ story is a longer one than most, and began in 1990 at the University of Otago, New Zealand, when biochemist Robin Smith and mitochondrial specialist, Professor Mike Murphy were studying mitochondria and trying to extrapolate why antioxidant supplements, such as CoQ10, were ineffective at curing certain diseases. They found that regular antioxidants, although successful at getting into the bloodstream, were unable to penetrate the mitochondria itself.

Thus, they created Mitoquinol Mesylate, a multi-patented cellular optimiser that can penetrate mitochondria and, in doing so, manage free radicals and oxidative damage providing additive benefits above and beyond normal antioxidant supplements. A consortium of NZ investors purchased the rights to Mitoquinol Mesylate in 1990, with Dr Ken Taylor managing commercialisation of the product.

A 2006 Phase II Parkinson’s trial required additional fundraising, and a new parent company Antipodean Pharmaceuticals Inc (USA) was established. Although this trial was unsuccessful, promising results from independent research encouraged Gary Lane, one of the original NZ investors, to increase his shareholding to 90% and launch the MitoQ topical and nutraceutical range in 2013. With its unique ingredient Mitoquinol Mesylate, first available as a skin serum and health supplement, the company quickly expanded to a ten supplement and five skin product-range, and now employs 50 people across New Zealand, the USA and China.

The new product formulae combine the base MitoQ product with carefully selected premium ingredients, such as Longvida® Curcumin, Siliphos® Milk Thistle and Green Lip mussel extract. Each formula uniquely targets different aging problems such as healthy brain and digestion, liver function and joint function. The company’s advanced skincare range launched in 2017.

Dr Ken Taylor says: “We identified the breakthrough technology as being potentially huge amongst the globally aging population looking for aging solutions.” With over two decades of research already behind it, MitoQ continues to collaborate extensively with research institutions and has received over NZ$50m of independent research development investment.

MitoQ 5mg, the company’s flagship product, contains Mitoquinol Mesylate, and has over 60 patents globally. MitoQ 5mg has been on the market since 2013 and is sold in dozens of countries around the world. MitoQ uses third-party distributors (Amazon and Ruby Has for distribution in the US, Tmall, Taobao, Daigou and ABM in China, Misi in Europe and Nutri-link in UK) together with direct sales via its own MitoQ website. MitoQ has several New Zealand food safety certifications, and its products are manufactured in New Zealand using leading certified GMP facilities.

Access to the report and a FREE executive summary can be found here, and check out our other supplements company profiles here.