There was no increased risk of infections with IV iron .
Gastrointestinal AEs were reduced with IV iron .
CONCLUSION Intravenous iron therapy is not associated with an increased risk of SAEs or infections .
Infusion reactions are more pronounced with IV iron
OBJECTIVE To amass all available evidence regarding the safety of intravenous ( IV ) iron preparations to provide a true balance of efficacy and safety .
A randomized, controlled trial comparing IV iron sucrose to oral iron in anemic patients with nondialysis-dependent CKD.
BACKGROUND Although iron deficiency frequently complicates anemia in patients with nondialysis-dependent CKD ( ND-CKD ) , the comparative treatment value of IV iron infusion and oral iron supplementation has not been established . METHODS In a r and omized , controlled multicenter trial , we compared the efficacy of iron sucrose , given as 1 g in divided IV doses over 14 days , with that of ferrous sulfate , given 325 mg orally thrice daily for 56 days in patients with ND-CKD stages 3 to 5 , Hb < or = 11 g/dL , TSAT < or = 25 % , and ferritin < or = 300 ng/mL.  Epoetin/darbepoetin therapy , if any , was not changed for eight weeks prior to or during the study . RESULTS The proportion of patients achieving the primary outcome ( Hb increase > or = 1 g/dL ) was greater in the IV iron treatment group than in the oral iron treatment group ( 44.3 % vs. 28.0 % , P= 0.0344 ) , as was the mean increase in Hb by day 42 ( 0.7 vs. 0.4 g/dL , P= 0.0298 ) . Compared to those in the IV iron group , patients in the oral iron treatment group showed a greater decline in GFR during the study ( -4.40 vs. -1.45 mL/min/1.73m2 , P= 0.0100 ) . No serious adverse drug events ( ADE ) were seen in patients administered IV iron sucrose as 200 mg IV over two to five minutes , but drug-related hypotension , including one event considered serious , occurred in two females weighing less than 65 kg after 500 mg doses were given over four hours . CONCLUSION IV iron administration using 1000 mg iron sucrose in divided doses is superior to oral iron therapy in the management of ND-CKD patients with anemia and low iron indices
There was no increased risk of infections with IV iron .
Gastrointestinal AEs were reduced with IV iron .
CONCLUSION Intravenous iron therapy is not associated with an increased risk of SAEs or infections .
Infusion reactions are more pronounced with IV iron
OBJECTIVE To amass all available evidence regarding the safety of intravenous ( IV ) iron preparations to provide a true balance of efficacy and safety .