Comparative safety of intravenous ferumoxytol versus ferric carboxymaltose in iron deficiency anemia: A randomized trial.

Few trials have examined rates of hypersensitivity reactions (HSRs) with intravenous iron formulations used to treat iron deficiency anemia (IDA). This randomized, multicenter, double-blind clinical trial compared the safety, and efficacy of ferumoxytol versus ferric carboxymaltose (FCM), focusing on rates of HSRs and hypotension as the primary end point. Patients with IDA of any etiology in whom oral iron was unsatisfactory or intolerable received ferumoxytol (n = 997) or FCM (n = 1000) intravenously over ≥15 minutes on days 1 and 8 or 9 for total respective doses of 1.02 g and 1.50 g. Composite incidences of moderate-to-severe HSRs, including anaphylaxis, or moderate-to-severe hypotension from baseline to week 5 (primary safety end point) were 0.6% and 0.7% in the ferumoxytol and FCM groups, respectively, with ferumoxytol noninferior to FCM. No anaphylaxis was reported in either group. The secondary safety end point of incidences of moderate-to-severe HSRs, including anaphylaxis, serious cardiovascular events, and death from baseline to week 5 were 1.3% and 2.0% in the ferumoxytol and FCM groups, respectively (noninferiority test P < .0001). Least-squares mean changes in hemoglobin at week 5 were 1.4 g/dL and 1.6 g/dL in the ferumoxytol and FCM groups, respectively (noninferiority test P < .0001). Incidence of hypophosphatemia was 0.4% for ferumoxytol and 38.7% for FCM.

Randomized trial of intravenous iron-induced hypophosphatemia.

BACKGROUND: Hypophosphatemia can complicate intravenous iron therapy, but no head-to-head trials compared the effects of newer intravenous iron formulations on risks and mediators of hypophosphatemia. METHODS: In a randomized, double-blinded, controlled trial of adults with iron deficiency anemia from February 2016 to January 2017, we compared rates of hypophosphatemia in response to a single FDA-approved course of ferric carboxymaltose (n = 1,000) or ferumoxytol (n = 997). To investigate pathophysiological mediators of intravenous iron-induced hypophosphatemia, we nested within the parent trial a physiological substudy (ferric carboxymaltose, n = 98; ferumoxytol, n = 87) in which we measured fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23), calcitriol, and parathyroid hormone (PTH) at baseline and 1, 2, and 5 weeks later. RESULTS: The incidence of hypophosphatemia was significantly higher in the ferric carboxymaltose versus the ferumoxytol group (<2.0 mg/dl, 50.8% vs. 0.9%; <1.3 mg/dl, 10.0% vs. 0.0%; P < 0.001), and hypophosphatemia persisted through the end of the 5-week study period in 29.1% of ferric carboxymaltose-treated patients versus none of the ferumoxytol-treated patients (P < 0.001). Ferric carboxymaltose, but not ferumoxytol, increased circulating concentrations of biologically active FGF23 (mean within-patient percentage change from baseline to week 2 peak: +302.8 ± 326.2% vs. +10.1 ± 61.0%; P < 0.001), which was significantly associated with contemporaneous hypophosphatemia, renal phosphate wasting, and decreased serum calcitriol and calcium, and increased PTH concentrations. CONCLUSIONS: Ferric carboxymaltose rapidly increases biologically active FGF23 in patients with iron deficiency anemia. Paralleling hereditary and other acquired syndromes of hypophosphatemic rickets/osteomalacia, ferric carboxymaltose-induced FGF23 elevation triggers a pathophysiological cascade of renal phosphate wasting, calcitriol deficiency, and secondary hyperparathyroidism that frequently culminates in hypophosphatemia. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02694978FUNDING. AMAG Pharmaceuticals, Inc.Role of the funding source: This study was supported by AMAG Pharmaceuticals, Inc. The academic investigators designed the clinical trial, performed the analyses, and authored the manuscript with input from the coauthors from AMAG Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Cost-effectiveness analysis of intravenous ferumoxytol for the treatment of iron deficiency anemia in adult patients with non-dialysis-dependent chronic kidney disease in the USA.

OBJECTIVE: Ferumoxytol has demonstrated superior efficacy compared with oral iron in treating iron deficiency anemia in chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients. However, an economic evaluation of ferumoxytol has not been conducted. The aim of this study was to analyze the cost-effectiveness of treating iron deficiency anemia in adult non-dialysis-dependent CKD patients with ferumoxytol as compared with oral iron, alone or in combination with erythropoietin-stimulating agents (ESAs). METHODS: A decision analytic model compared health outcomes and costs associated with 5-week outpatient treatment of adult non-dialysis-dependent CKD patients with ferumoxytol or oral iron, each as monotherapy or in combination with ESAs in the USA. Direct costs include the following: drug acquisition and administration, adverse events, and medical management. Efficacy was determined as mean increase in hemoglobin (g/dL) from baseline over the 5-week period. Clinical inputs were derived from patient-level data from two Phase III randomized controlled trials of ferumoxytol vs. oral iron in non-dialysis-dependent CKD patients, and cost inputs from RED BOOK™ and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services data. Sensitivity analyses were performed to identify cost drivers and assess the stability of results. RESULTS: The 5-week treatment cost was $2,489, $5,216, $1,298, and $4,263 per patient for ferumoxytol, ferumoxytol with ESAs, oral iron, and oral iron with ESAs, respectively. The corresponding incremental costs per g/dL increase in hemoglobin, relative to ferumoxytol alone, were $398, $3,558, and $4,768 per patient. Efficacy was the main driver of cost-effectiveness for all treatments. Adverse event and medical management costs were the principal drivers of oral iron monotherapy costs, while drug acquisition substantially contributed to the overall cost for the remaining treatments. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that ferumoxytol is a cost-effective treatment for iron deficiency anemia in non-dialysis-dependent CKD patients over a 5-week period compared with oral iron with or without ESAs. Ferumoxytol is more cost-effective as monotherapy.

Comparative safety of intravenous Ferumoxytol versus Ferric Carboxymaltose for the Treatment of Iron Deficiency Anemia: rationale and study design of a randomized double-blind study with a focus on acute hypersensitivity reactions.

BACKGROUND: Intravenous (IV) iron is often used to treat iron deficiency anemia in patients who are unable to tolerate or are inadequately managed with oral iron. However, IV iron treatment has been associated with acute hypersensitivity reactions. The comparative risk of adverse events (AEs) with IV iron preparations has been assessed by a few randomized controlled trials, which are most often limited by small patient numbers, which lack statistical power to identify differences in low-frequency AE such as hypersensitivity reactions. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Ferumoxytol versus Ferric Carboxymaltose for the Treatment of Iron Deficiency Anemia (FIRM) is a randomized, double-blind, international, multicenter, Phase III study designed to compare the safety of ferumoxytol and ferric carboxymaltose (FCM). The study includes adults with hemoglobin <12.0 g/dL (females) or <14.0 g/dL (males), transferrin saturation ≤20% or ferritin ≤100 ng/mL within 60 days of dosing, and a history of unsatisfactory or nontolerated oral iron therapy or in whom oral iron therapy is inappropriate. Patients are randomized (1:1) to ferumoxytol 510 mg or FCM 750 mg, each given intravenously on days 1 and 8. Primary end points are the incidence of moderate-to-severe hypersensitivity reactions, including anaphylaxis, and moderate-to-severe hypotension. All potential hypersensitivity and hypotensive reactions will be adjudicated by a blinded, independent Clinical Events Committee. A secondary safety end point is the composite frequency of moderate-to-severe hypersensitivity reactions, including anaphylaxis, serious cardiovascular events, and death. Secondary efficacy end points include mean change in hemoglobin and mean change in hemoglobin per milligram of iron administered from baseline to week 5. Urinary excretion of phosphorus and the occurrence of hypophosphatemia after IV iron administration will be examined as well as the mechanisms of such hypophosphatemia in a substudy. CONCLUSION: FIRM will provide data on the comparative safety of ferumoxytol and FCM, two IV iron preparations with similar dosing schedules, focusing on moderate-to-severe hypersensitivity reactions, including anaphylaxis, and moderate-to-severe hypotension. The study plans to enroll 2000 patients and is expected to complete in 2017.