Swedish biopharma company BioArctic AB (Nasdaq Stockholm:BIOA B) reported on Wednesday the launch of the first clinical study of ABBV-0805 in the US for Parkinson's disease.

The company added the Phase 1 study in healthy volunteers will investigate the safety and tolerability of ABBV-0805.

According to the company, ABBV-0805 is the most advanced within the portfolio of alpha-synuclein targeting antibodies was in-licensed from BioArctic in December 2018. The antibody is being evaluated as a disease modifying treatment for Parkinson's disease.

Under the terms of the license agreement, AbbVie is responsible for the clinical development of ABBV-0805. ABBV-0805 is a result of a strategic research alliance between BioArctic and AbbVie focused on the development of a potential immunotherapy for Parkinson's disease.

Parkinson's disease is a progressive disease of the nervous system that is associated with reduced levels of dopamine in the brain. Tremor and movement disturbances are the pathological hallmarks of the disease, but it is also characterised by dementia, depression, sleep disturbance and other symptoms. As the second most common neurodegenerative disease, after Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease affects a large number of individuals and their families.