Patent ID: 7790675

Claim:
A method of increasing frataxin expression in a subject having Friedreich's ataxia or a disease associated therewith, said subject being diagnosed as having decreased expression of frataxin, the method comprising: providing a pharmaceutical composition having a therapeutically effective amount of erythropoietin or a derivative thereof having the biological activity of human erythropoietin sufficient for increasing expression of frataxin, said human erythropoietin or said derivative thereof is selected from the group of recombinant human erythropoietin, erythropoietin α, erythropoietin β, aranesp, asialoerythropoietin and carbamylated erythropoietin; and administering the pharmaceutical composition to the subject having Friedreich's ataxia or the disease associated therewith being a neurodegenerative disease, said administering increases frataxin expression in the subject.