Deferasirox (Exjade, ICL670, CGP72670) is an iron-chelating drug for p.o. treatment of transfusional iron overload in patients with beta-thalassemia or sickle cell disease. The pharmacokinetics and disposition of deferasirox were investigated in rats. The animals received single intravenous (10 mg/kg) or p.o. (10 or 100 mg/kg) doses of 14C-radiolabeled deferasirox. Biological samples were analy...

UNLABELLED Background Following a clinical evaluation of deferasirox (Exjade) it was concluded that, in addition to baseline body iron burden, ongoing transfusional iron intake should be considered when selecting doses. The 1-year EPIC study, the largest ever investigation conducted for an iron chelator, is the first to evaluate whether fixed starting doses of deferasirox, based on transfusiona...

OBJECTIVES It is widely assumed that, at matched transfusional iron-loading rates, responses to chelation therapy are similar, irrespective of the underlying condition. However, data are limited for rare transfusion-dependent anaemias, and it remains to be elucidated if response differs, depending on whether the anaemia has a primary haemolytic or production mechanism. METHODS The efficacy an...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Iron accumulation is an inevitable consequence of chronic blood transfusions and results in serious complications in the absence of chelation treatment to remove excess iron. Deferoxamine (Desferal, DFO) reduces morbidity and mortality although the administration schedule of slow, parenteral infusions several days each week limits compliance and negatively affects long...

The editorial by GJ Kontoghiorghes [1] contains significant factual inaccuracies, selectively omits important information about deferasirox and lacks the robust epidemiological methodology typical for analysis of pharmacovigilance data for safety signals. The aim of this letter is to correct these inaccuracies, providing correct information for doctors and patients. Several key references in th...

Regular blood transfusions are essential support therapy for patients with transfusion-dependent anemias such as thalassemia and sickle cell disease. However, since humans lack a mechanism for the active excretion of excess iron, these patients invariably develop iron overload acquired from chronic blood transfusions. Since each milliliter of packed red blood cells (RBCs) processed for transfus...

To date, there is a lack of long-term safety and efficacy data for iron chelation therapy in transfusion-dependent patients with sickle cell disease (SCD). To evaluate the long-term safety and efficacy of deferasirox (a once-daily oral iron chelator), patients with SCD completing a 1-year, Phase II, randomized, deferoxamine (DFO)-controlled study entered a 4-year extension, continuing to receiv...

Introduction: Cognitive impairment has been observed in thalassemia patients (1) and it may be related to iron overload. Increased iron deposition was also reported in the basal ganglion regions in thalassemic patients previously. SWI with phase map allows more sensitive detection of iron content in the brain with higher image resolution (2). Therefore, we used SWI to quantify iron store in the...