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Use of the iron chelator drug deferiprone — first developed by researchers at King's College London (KCL) — has extended the lives of thalassaemia patients and is of great utility for those with cardiac problems as it can remove excess iron from the heart. For this reason deferiprone has more recently gained United States approval. KCL researchers have also developed methods for the synthesis and analysis of markers of iron chelation therapy that are being utilised in clinical trials by Novartis Pharmaceuticals and Vifor Pharma and by clinicians. Several neurodegenerative diseases are associated with elevated brain iron levels and the use of deferiprone is also being investigated in clinical trials by ApoPharma and hospitals in the UK and France.