Living Cell Technologies, which has developed technology to treat Parkinson's disease, says it's been given the go ahead to proceed with the first phase of a clinical trial of its product.
Health Minister Tony Ryall has given authorisation for the first in-human trials to take place.
The technology takes a cell type which develops in the brain, from new born pigs, and puts it into a jelly-like capsule and implants them into the damaged region of the patient's brain.
The study will last up to 60 weeks and involve patients that have been diagnosed with Parkinson's for at least four years.
Living Cell Technologies chief executive Andrea Grant said it's the company's second product of transplanted cells which has received regulatory approval to be trialled in New Zealand.
When the product has completed the clinical trials, the company's goal will be to market and distribute it globally.
Ms Grant said the current total global market for drugs used to treat Parkinson's is about $US2 billion.
But she said those products do not tend to work for a long period for patients because patients become unresponsive to them.
"Our treatment, if it works, and clearly we've got to move through our clinical trials to show that it does work, but if it works it actually will lead to a regeneration in the damaged area of the brain and as such it will slow the progression of the disease."
The clinical trials will be a lengthy process. Ms Grant said there will be a significant market if it's successful.
Professor Bob Elliot said the trial will target four people with a serious degree of Parkinsons, whose current option is electric probing of the brain, called Deep Brain Stimulation.
He said electric probing tends to stir up the brain, whereas pig-cell treatment replaces dead brain cells with new ones.
