Combination Therapy of Deferiprone and N-Acetylcysteine for Treating Negative Symptoms in Schizophrenia

In following guidelines for studying negative symptoms in schizophrenia, 60 patients aged 18-40, diagnosed with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder during the last ten years, will receive a combination of the iron chelator DFP plus NAC or a matching placebo plus NAC combination, as add-on to their maintenance antipsychotic drug (APD) treatment, for a duration of 36 weeks. Prior to initiation of treatment, all participants will undergo baseline MRI scan. A follow-up MRI will be conducted at the end of the 36-week study period, or upon early withdrawal if applicable, to evaluate the effect of the add-on treatment on iron dyshomeostasis and morphology.

NCT Number	NCT07759895
Lead Sponsor	Amit Lotan Collaborators: Hadassah Medical Organization, Jerusalem Mental Health Center, Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Conditions	Schizoaffecitve Disorder, Schizophrenia and Schizoaffective Disorder, Schizophrenia and Predominant Negative Symptoms
Enrollment	80 participants
Start Date	2026-09-01
Primary Completion	2028-12 (estimated)
Study Completion	2029-12 (estimated)
Updated on ClinicalTrials.gov	2026-08-12