Recently the scientific community and the firms involved in CoQ10 production and distribution learned of the presence on the market of a product called “Chinese synthetic CoQ10 (idebenone)” manufactured by Modern Natural Products (MNP, Mumbai, India).

Idebenone is a well-known synthetic compound, with a structural similarity, in the quinone moiety, to coenzyme Q. However, idebenone has a side chain of 10 carbon atoms (10-hydroxydecyl), whereas coenzyme Q has a polyisoprenoid side chain. Specifically, in CoQ10, the major form of coenzyme Q in humans, the side chain is made of 10 isoprenoid units for a total of 50 carbon atoms.

Idebenone has some antioxidant properties and has been studied in vascular disorders resulting from stroke or experimental cerebral ischemia and in some neurological diseases. What we want to make clear in this statement is that the nomenclature “Chinese synthetic CoQ10 (idebenone)” is incorrect and misleading.

Moreover, Covance, a company involved in validation of analytical methods, did not object in calling idebenone “Synthetic Chinese CoQ10”. In literature provided by MNP, one can read sentences such as “Because idebenone is a new synthetic material with a slightly different chemical structure it could not be called just CoQ10; therefore it is called Synthetic CoQ10-Idebenone”….

“Covance had no problem calling it Chinese Synthetic CoQ10 because it falls under that category". “We were told that idebenone and CoQ10 are classified as the same product”.

It is not our intention to discuss the properties of idebenone and its possible beneficial effects. We point out, however, that being a different compound, CoQ10 has properties different to those of idebenone. Covance issued a validation method for just idebenone and erroneously called it a validation method for synthetic CoQ10.

PEOPLE SHOULD BE AWARE THAT COENZYME Q10 AND IDEBENONE ARE NOT THE SAME PRODUCT AND DO NOT HAVE THE SAME PROPERTIES AND EFFECTS. FURTHERMORE CLINICAL STUDIES HAVE PROVEN THAT CoQ10 IS SAFE EVEN AT DOSES OF 2-3 GRAMS PER DAY, PROOF THAT IS NOT AVAILABLE FOR IDEBENONE.

The above information is courtesy of International CoenzymeQ10 Association - Institute of Biochemistry - University Politecnic of Marche, Via Ranieri, 60131, Ancona, Italy