Effect of Deferasirox on Iron Absorption in a Randomized, Placebo-Controlled, Crossover Study in a Human Model of Acute Supratherapeutic Iron Ingestion

• Published in: Annals of emergency medicine Vol. 58; no. 1; pp. 69 - 73
• Main Authors: Griffith, Erin A., DO, Fallgatter, Kiva C., BA, Tantama, Stephen S., MD, Tanen, David A., MD, Matteucci, Michael J., MD
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York, NY Mosby, Inc 01.07.2011; Elsevier
• Subjects: Adult; Anesthesia. Intensive care medicine. Transfusions. Cell therapy and gene therapy; Antidotes - therapeutic use; Benzoates - therapeutic use; Biological and medical sciences; Blood. Blood coagulation. Reticuloendothelial system; Cross-Over Studies; Double-Blind Method; Emergency; Female; Humans; Intensive care medicine; Iron - blood; Iron - pharmacokinetics; Iron - poisoning; Iron Chelating Agents - therapeutic use; Male; Medical sciences; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; Triazoles - therapeutic use; Deferasirox; Human; Intensive care; Chelating agent; Iron; Resuscitation; Ingestion
• ISSN: 0196-0644; 1097-6760
• DOI: 10.1016/j.annemergmed.2010.11.020

Study objective In 2005, the Food and Drug Administration approved deferasirox as an oral iron chelating agent for chronic iron overload. To determine usefulness in management of acute iron ingestion, we study the effect of orally administered deferasirox in healthy human adults. Methods A double-blinded, placebo-controlled, randomized, crossover study of 8 healthy human volunteers was conducted. Subjects ingested 5 mg/kg of elemental iron in the form of ferrous sulfate. One hour after iron ingestion, subjects were randomized to receive 20 mg/kg of deferasirox or placebo. Serial iron levels were then obtained. A 2-week washout was used between study arms. The paired t test was used to compare area under time-concentration curves from baseline to both 12- and 24-hour iron levels between groups. Results Baseline serum iron levels were similar in the 2 groups. Deferasirox significantly reduced serum iron area under concentration-time curves compared with placebo during both 1 to 12 hours and 1 to 24 hours (12 hour=577 μmol-hour/L and 392 μmol-hour/L, 95% confidence interval for the difference 15.8 to 353.0 μmol-hour/L; 24 hour=808 μmol-hour/L and 598 μmol-hour/L, 95% confidence interval for difference 54.4 to 366.7 μmol-hour/L). Conclusion Orally administered deferasirox significantly reduced serum iron levels when administered 1 hour after iron ingestion during the 12- and 24-hour periods after acute ingestion of 5 mg/kg of elemental iron in healthy human volunteers. Further study is required to determine optimal dosing, but deferasirox may be an important addition to current therapy for acute iron poisoning.