Iron overload

Ruptured cerebral aneurysms lead to subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH),that has a high morbidity and mortality rate, the severity of which is predicted by the "Hunt-Hess grade" (HHG).

SAH leads to iron (Fe) and hemoglobin (Hb) accumulation in the brain, which is toxic for neurons. Ferritin (iron reported in the brian) and iron overload leads to brain atrophy, specifically in the mesial temporal lobe (hippocampus, impairing patients' cognition. It is estimated that 50% of survivors have cognitive deficits.

Most of the survivors of SAH could not return to work. Iron chelation therapy has been recently gaining ground as a therapeutic intervention in intraparenchymal hemorrhage and in SAH. However, there has not been any study that assess the iron deposition in the brain and the level of ferritin in the cerebrospinal fluid of SAH patients. The investigators propose to conduct a randomized trial using Deferiprone (oral chelating agent, "De") + standard of care versus standard of care in patient with SAH to:

1. assess the level of ferritin (Ft) in CSF (CSF withdrawn from ventriculostomy tube),
2. assess functional outcomes measured by the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) score, a score used to assess the level of dementia, mainly in Alzheimer disease patients.
3. quantify the the total iron deposition in the brain based on MRI

Friedreich's ataxia is an autosomal recessive cerebellar ataxia caused by triplet-repeat expansions. The causative mutation is a trinucleotide (GAA) repeat expansion in the first intron of the frataxin gene, leading to impaired transcription of frataxin. The pathological consequences of frataxin deficiency include a severe disruption of iron-sulfur cluster biosynthesis, mitochondrial iron overload coupled to cellular iron dysregulation, and an increased sensitivity to oxidative stress.

A hallmark of Friedreich's ataxia is impairment of antioxidative defense mechanisms, which play a major role in disease progression. Studies have demonstrated that nuclear factor erythroid-derived 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) signaling is grossly impaired in participants with Friedreich's ataxia. Therefore, the ability of omaveloxolone (RTA 408) to activate Nrf2 and induce antioxidant target genes is hypothesized to be therapeutic in participants with Friedreich's ataxia.

This 2-part study will evaluate the efficacy, safety, and pharmacodynamics of omaveloxolone (RTA 408) in the treatment of participants with Friedreich's ataxia.

Part 1: The first part of this study will be a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, dose-escalation study to evaluate the safety of omaveloxolone (RTA 408) at various doses in participants with Friedreich's ataxia.

Part 2: The second part of this study is a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, parallel-group study to evaluate the safety and efficacy of omaveloxolone (RTA 408) 150 mg in participants with Friedreich's ataxia. Participants enrolled in Part 2 will be randomized 1:1 to receive omaveloxolone (RTA 408) 150 mg or placebo.

Extension: The extension will assess long-term safety and tolerability of omaveloxolone (RTA 408) in qualified participants with Friedreich's ataxia following completion of Part 1 or Part 2. Participants will not be unblinded to study treatment in Part 1 or Part 2 upon entering the extension study. Participants will receive open-label omaveloxolone (RTA 408) at 150 mg once daily.