Conclusions All currently available intravenous iron preparations appear to be safe and effective , but ferric carboxymaltose seems to provide a better and quicker correction of haemoglobin and serum ferritin levels in iron-deficient patients
Background Iron deficiency is very common in a number of medical conditions .
Ferric carboxymaltose is a new stable iron preparation that can be administered in single infusions over short periods of time .
The aim of this study was to conduct a systematic review of r and omised controlled trials ( RCTs ) regarding the efficacy and safety of the novel complex compared with other iron formulations .
In addition , the feasibility of a network meta- analysis for indirect comparisons was investigated .
Sodium ferric gluconate complex in hemodialysis patients. II. Adverse reactions in iron dextran-sensitive and dextran-tolerant patients.
BACKGROUND Iron dextran administration is associated with a high incidence of adverse reactions including anaphylaxis and death . Although dextran , rather than iron , is believed to be the cause of these reactions , it is not known whether iron dextran-sensitive patients can be safely administered another form of parenteral iron , sodium ferric gluconate in sucrose ( SFGC ) . METHODS In a 69 center , prospect i ve , double-blind , controlled trial of safety and tolerability of SFGC , the rate of reactions to SFGC and placebo in 144 iron dextran-sensitive patients was compared with 2194 patients who were previously tolerant to iron dextran preparations .  Serum tryptase levels , a marker of mast cell degranulation , also were measured . RESULTS Among 143 iron dextran-sensitive patients exposed to  SFGC  , three ( 2.1 % ) were intolerant . All three had suspected allergic events to SFGC  , including one patient with a serious reaction ( 0.7 % ) . One dextran-sensitive patient ( 0.7 % ) had a suspected allergic reaction after placebo . In contrast , among 2194 iron dextran-tolerant patients , reactions to  SFGC  were significantly less common , with  SFGC intolerance seen in seven patients ( 0.3 % ; P = 0.020 ) , including five ( 0.2 % ) who had suspected allergic events ( P = 0.010 ) , but none who had serious events ( 0.0 % ; P = 0.061 ) . Two iron dextran-tolerant patients ( 0.09 % ) had allergic-like reactions following placebo injections . Two of the three suspected allergic events in the iron dextran-sensitive group were confirmed as mast cell dependent by a 100 % increase in serum tryptase , while there were no confirmed allergic events in the iron dextran-tolerant group . Long-term exposure to SFGC in iron dextran-sensitive patients result ed in intolerance in only one additional patient and no serious adverse events . CONCLUSIONS Patients with a history of iron dextran sensitivity had approximately sevenfold higher rates of reaction to both placebo and SFGC compared to iron dextran tolerant patients . However , logistic regression analysis , performed to account for the higher reaction rate to placebo , suggests that this increased reactivity was not drug-specific nor immunologically mediated , but represented host idiosyncrasy . These results support the conclusions that reactions to SFGC can be attributed to pseudoallergy , and that SFGC is not a true allergen
Conclusions All currently available intravenous iron preparations appear to be safe and effective , but ferric carboxymaltose seems to provide a better and quicker correction of haemoglobin and serum ferritin levels in iron-deficient patients
Background Iron deficiency is very common in a number of medical conditions .
Ferric carboxymaltose is a new stable iron preparation that can be administered in single infusions over short periods of time .
The aim of this study was to conduct a systematic review of r and omised controlled trials ( RCTs ) regarding the efficacy and safety of the novel complex compared with other iron formulations .
In addition , the feasibility of a network meta- analysis for indirect comparisons was investigated .