A prospective randomized controlled trial on the safety and efficacy of alternating deferoxamine and deferiprone in the treatment of iron overload in patients with thalassemia.

Abstract

We compared the safety and efficacy of alternating deferoxamine and deferiprone with that of deferoxamine monotherapy. Sixty transfusion-dependent thalassemia patients regularly treated with deferoxamine were randomized to continue deferoxamine alone or to receive an alternating therapy for one year. Both arms resulted in equivalent decreases of serum ferritin and liver iron concentration. There was no significant difference in the proportion of patients with adverse events in the two therapy groups although the nature of the adverse events differed according to the chelation regimen.

• Authors: Renzo Galanello, Antonis Kattamis, Antonio Piga, Roland Fischer, Giovanbattista Leoni, Vassilios Ladis, Vincenzo Voi, Ulrich Lund, Fernando Tricta
• Journal: Haematologica (Haematologica) Vol. 91 Issue 9 Pg. 1241-3 (Sep 2006) ISSN: 1592-8721 [Electronic] Italy
• PMID: 16956824 (Publication Type: Comparative Study, Journal Article, Randomized Controlled Trial, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)

Chemical References

• Pyridones
• Deferiprone
• Deferoxamine

Topics

• Adolescent
• Adult
• Deferiprone
• Deferoxamine (administration & dosage, adverse effects)
• Drug Therapy, Combination
• Female
• Humans
• Iron Overload (drug therapy)
• Male
• Pyridones (administration & dosage, adverse effects)
• Thalassemia (complications, drug therapy)
• Treatment Outcome