• Margaret Malone, Charles Barish, Andy He, and David Bregman.
• Department of Pharmacy Practice, Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, 106 New Scotland Ave., Albany, NY 12208, USA. margaret.malone@acphs.edu
• Obes Surg. 2013 Sep 1;23(9):1413-20.

BackgroundIron deficiency anemia (IDA) is a common finding in patients after bariatric surgery. The cause is multifactorial including reduced oral iron intake and malabsorption. While many patients can be managed with oral supplements, parenteral iron may be needed to restore and maintain iron stores.MethodsSubjects who had previous bariatric surgery and had participated in phase 3 industry-sponsored clinical trials designed to assess the safety and/or efficacy of intravenous (IV) ferric carboxymaltose (FCM) were retrospectively selected from the databases of each of these studies. Demographic data, efficacy measures [hemoglobin, ferritin, and transferrin saturation (TSAT)], and adverse events were compared between FCM and other agents utilized as comparators in the trials.ResultsTwo hundred eighty-one subjects from the intention to treat (ITT) population were included (mean age 49 years, BMI 33 kg/m(2), including 253 females). FCM had similar or improved efficacy (p < 0.05) in terms of increasing hemoglobin, ferritin, and TSAT values when compared to other iron products used as standard of care for IDA. The incidence of adverse events in the FCM patients (n = 123) versus patients receiving any IV iron (n = 126) was 61 and 56.3 %, respectively. The adverse events were similar in both groups with the exception of a transient decrease in serum phosphate which was observed more frequently in the FCM group.ConclusionsThese data in post-bariatric surgery IDA patients suggest that FCM is a safe and effective alternative to existing iron products permitting higher and thus less frequent individual doses.

52 keywords...

hide…