In pregnant women, intravenous administration of the drug ferric carboxymaltose reduces the prevalence of deficiency more rapidly than oral iron.
- Ferric carboxymaltose, given as an intravenous drip, is faster and more effective than an iron tablet taken by mouth for the treatment of anemia during pregnancy.
- Its side effects (fatigue, headache) were similar to those of ferrous sulfate administered orally.
- Intravenous iron administration had no adverse effects on the babies.
Anemia, an abnormally low level of hemoglobin in the blood, is a common cause of ill health or death in mothers and their babies. Problem: “its treatment prescribed orally during pregnancy is often poorly tolerated (diarrhea, nausea, vomiting) and poorly followed”according to researchers from the University of Lagos (Nigeria). That’s why, in a new study, they wanted to examine the efficacy and safety of a drug, called ferric carboxymaltose, which is administered intravenously compared to ferrous sulfate taken orally on anemia and iron deficiency in patients.
1,056 pregnant women received an intravenous or oral dose of iron
For this, the team recruited 1,056 women, aged 15 to 49, who were five to seven and a half months pregnant and suffering from anemia with a haemoglobin level of less than 10 g/dl. The participants were divided into two groups. Half of the volunteers were treated with a dose of iron (20 mg/kg up to a maximum of 1,000 mg) administered by intravenous drip, while the other half took iron tablets (200 mg) three times a day until delivery. Haemoglobin and iron levels were measured at 36 weeks of pregnancy and six weeks after delivery. In addition, the patients were screened for depression at specific times. Blood was also taken from the child’s umbilical cord at the time of delivery to find out if the medication had an impact on the child’s phosphate level.
Pregnancy: Ferric carboxymaltose is faster and more effective in treating anemia
The results, published in The Lancet Global Health, showed that a single dose of ferric carboxymaltose given by drip into the veins during pregnancy led to a faster rise in blood levels after four weeks than iron tablets taken orally three times a day. Intravenous iron also helps to combat iron deficiency in the body better than ferrous sulfate. The side effects of ferric carboxymaltose were similar to those of the tablets, with no adverse effects on the babies. Specifically, the most common reactions were diarrhea and vomiting in the group that took iron orally. In the other group, it was fatigue and headache.
“These data are reassuring, as patients often reject new drugs for fear of harm to their babies. We now have evidence that using ferric carboxymaltose in areas where many pregnant women suffer from anaemia, such as Africa, will be an important step towards reducing the proportion of pregnant women who suffer from this disorder and its complications,” concluded Ochuwa A. Babah, author of the work.
