Please select the eligibility criteria that correspond to the clinical trial below.
Title: Amlodipine in the Prevention and Treatment of Iron Overload in Patients With Thalassemia Major: a Randomized, Controlled Trial
Brief Summary: This study aims to investigate the use of amlodipine, a drug that blocks the uptake of calcium into cells, in the prevention and treatment of iron overload in patients with thalassemia major. Since iron uses the same calcium channels to enter the heart, pancreas and other organs, blocking these channels might help to prevent the accumulation of iron in these tissues. The study will follow 60 patients with thalassemia major: 30 will receive amlodipine and 30 will serve as controls receiving placebo in a randomized double-blind fashion. Patients will be monitored through one year. Monitoring will occur through the measurement of blood ferritin as well as live and heart T2\* by MRI initially, at 6 and 12 months.


Options:
A: Inclusion Criteria:

* Transfusional iron overload due to: hereditary anemias such as sickle cell disease, β-thalassemia and Diamond-Blackfan anemia; acquired anemias such as Myelodysplastic Syndrome and other forms of bone marrow failure. Patients must also be transfusion-dependent and require chronic treatment with deferoxamine, deferasirox, and/or deferiprone.
* Willing to discontinue all existing iron chelation therapies throughout study period.
* Serum ferritin greater than 500 ng/mL at Screening.
* Baseline liver iron concentration and cardiac MRI T2\* per protocol requirements.
* Mean of the previous three pre-transfusion hemoglobin concentrations greater than or equal to 7.5 g/dL.
* Agrees to use an approved method of contraception throughout study period.

Exclusion Criteria:

* As a result of medical review, physical examination or Screening investigations, the Principal Investigator considers the patient unfit for the study.
* Non-elective hospitalization within the 30 days prior to Baseline testing. (Patients with sickle cell anemia who are admitted to the hospital for management of sickle crisis pain whose uncomplicated hospital course was four days or less and who, 14 days prior to Baseline testing, have returned to their previous health status are acceptable.)
* Evidence of clinically relevant oral, cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, hepatic, renal, endocrine, pulmonary, neurologic, psychiatric, immunologic, bone marrow or skin disorder as determined by the Investigator.
* Evidence of significant renal insufficiency; possible examples include: serum creatinine above the upper limit of normal, proteinuria greater than 2 gm per day or calculated creatinine clearance of less than 60 mL/minute.
* Cardiac left ventricular ejection fraction outside of protocol requirements.
* Known sensitivity to magnesium stearate, croscarmellose sodium or FBS0701.
* Platelet count below 100,000/µL and/or absolute neutrophil count less than 1500/mm3 at Screening and \<50% at Baseline testing by MRI
* Alkaline phosphatase, AST or ALT outside of protocol requirements.
* Liver Function Tests: ALT \>5 times the local upper limit of normal on two occasions in the previous 12 months or ALT at Screening \>200 IU/L
* Use of any investigational agent within the 30 days prior to the Baseline testing.
B: Inclusion Criteria:

* Pediatric patients aged ≥ 6 and ≤ 20 years managed at AKUH for at least 1 year
* ≥ 10 blood transfusion in life time
* Transfusion need ≥ 180 ml/kg/year
* Serum ferritin ≥ 1000 ug/dl
* Patient deemed capable of receiving chelation therapy (by treating hematologist) either subcutaneous infusion of Deferoxamine (Desferal) (3-5 days a week) or oral deferasirox (daily) or Defeperione (oral) or a combination of Desferal and Defeperione.
* Patients who have been on a stable chelation regimen ≥ 6 months
* Completed and signed Informed consent/assent.

Exclusion Criteria:

* Patients with known hypersensitivity to amlodipine.
* Patients with known sinoatrial nodal disease or aortic stenosis.
* Patients with known severe myocardial dysfunction, defined as A LV ejection fraction of ≤ 4 SD for age even without symptoms.
* Patients with known signs and symptoms of heart failure.
* Patients with a T2\* value of \< 4 ms on cardiac MRI.
* Patients with systolic blood pressures ≤ 2 SD for age (systemic hypotension) at the time of enrolment.
* Patients with previously diagnosed significant congenital heart diseases or acquired heart diseases other than thalassemia (as defined earlier).
* Patients with known contraindications to MRI (pacemakers, cerebral aneurysm metal clips, etc.)
* Patient with a known history of developing tetany after use of a calcium channel blocker
* Known pregnancy.
C: Part I: Inclusion criteria for Inadequate responders

* Male or female patients with transfusion dependent iron overload including patients with thalassemia syndromes, sickle cell disease and bone marrow failure.
* Patients currently on Desferal (desferrioxamine) therapy will require a one day wash out prior to the first dose of study drug.
* Dose of deferasirox: \>30 mg/kg/day of deferasirox for at least 3 months
* No improvement or worsening of liver iron content (LIC) if this has been evaluated on deferasirox in the 3 months preceding the baseline studies.
* Age greater than 6 years
* Serum Ferritin: Ferritin \>1500 ng/ml and rising over three month period while on deferasirox.
* Patients had to achieve 'failure' as described above previously and may or may not currently be on deferasirox and may currently be having adequate responses on doses greater than or equal to 35 mg/kg/day of deferasirox.
* Life expectancy ≥ 6 months
* Written informed consent by the patient or for pediatric patients consent of the patient's legal guardian. The definition of the term 'pediatric' for enrollment and study conduct will be in accordance with Children's Hospital IRB. Parents or the legal guardians will be fully informed by the investigator as to the requirements of the study. Pediatric patients themselves will be informed according to their capabilities in a language and in terms that they are able to understand. Written informed consent will be obtained from their legal guardian on the patient's behalf in accordance with national legislation. If capable, all patients should also personally sign their written informed consent.

Part I: Inclusion criteria for good responders:

* Male or female patients with transfusion dependent iron overload including patients with thalassemia syndromes, sickle cell disease and bone marrow failure.
* Patients currently on Desferal (desferrioxamine) therapy will require a one day wash out prior to the first dose of study drug.
* Serum ferritin less than or equal to 1000 ng/ml or declining over a 3 month period on a dose of less than 30 mg/kg of deferasirox.
* Age greater than 6 years
* Life expectancy ≥ 6 months
* Written informed consent by the patient or for pediatric patients consent of the patient's legal guardian. The definition of the term 'pediatric' for enrollment and study conduct will be in accordance with Children's Hospital IRB. Parents or the legal guardians will be fully informed by the investigator as to the requirements of the study. Pediatric patients themselves will be informed according to their capabilities in a language and in terms that they are able to understand. Written informed consent will be obtained from their legal guardian on the patient's behalf in accordance with national legislation. If capable, all patients should also personally sign their written informed consent.

Exclusion criteria for Part I:

* Pregnancy (as documented in required screening laboratory test) or breast feeding
* History of non-compliance to medical regimens or patients who are considered potentially unreliable and/or not cooperative
* Patients with transfusion requirements equal to or more frequent than every three weeks.
* AST or ALT \> 400 U/L during screening
* Patients with uncontrolled systemic hypertension
* Severe cardiac insufficiency (NYHA III or IV), with uncontrolled and/or unstable cardiac or coronary artery disease not controlled by standard medical therapy
* Patients who received treatment with systemic investigational drug within the past 4 weeks or topical investigational drug within the past 7 days or are planning to receive other investigational drugs while participating in the study
* Allergy to deferoxamine
* Known contraindication to having a nuclear medicine study
* Any other condition which in the opinion of the investigator would prevent completion of the trial.
* Prior possible toxicity is not an exclusion criteria for Part I because patients require a chelating agent of which there are only two Patients who are found to be ineligible after screening procedures will have this documented on the screening log. No further data will be collected in the CRF for these patients.

Exclusion criteria for Part II:

* Patients with unacceptable toxicity to deferasirox such as renal failure or worsening cardiac function
* Patients who have failed to achieve negative iron balance at the maximum tolerated dose of deferasirox
* Patients who require an alternative chelator for specific reasons
* Patients who are currently enrolled on conflicting therapeutic trials
* Patients with serum ferritin less than 500 ng/ml at screening
* Any other condition which in the opinion of the investigator would prevent completion of the trial
D: Inclusion Criteria:

1. Patients with thalassemia major with at least 6 years of age undergoing iron chelation therapy.
2. No anticipated changes in chelation regimen for the next 12 months
3. Completed and signed Informed Consent

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Pregnancy
2. Advanced class III/IV heart failure or LVEF \< 0.35% (by MRI)
3. Formal contra-indications to MRI (pacemakers, cerebral aneurysm metal clips, etc).
4. Advanced heart AV block

Answer: D