• Skip to main content
Go to Patient and Caregivers Site
  • Prescribing Information and Medication Guides
    • Ferriprox Twice-a-day Tablets
    • Ferriprox 1000 MG Three-Times-a-Day Tablets
    • Ferriprox 500 MG Three-Times-a-Day Tablets
    • Ferriprox 100 MG/ML Oral Solution 100 MG/ML
  • About Ferriprox
    • Efficacy
    • Dosing and Formulations
    • Safety
    • Counseling Information
  • MRI T2* Facility Search
  • One-Stop Patient Support
  • FAQ
  • Additional Resources
  • FULL INDICATION AND IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION, INCLUDING BOXED WARNING

DOSING

Twice-daily dosing

Ferriprox® offers twice-daily dosing.

Administration with food may reduce the incidence of nausea and vomiting.

Dosing and Formulations chart: 500 and 1000 mg

Are you optimizing Ferriprox®  dosing?

Increasing the dose of Ferriprox from 75 mg/kg/day up to 99 mg/kg/day may improve efficacy in iron chelation.1,4,6¶

Dosing and Formulations: Initial dose 75mg/kg/day increase to 99mg/kg/day

The incidence of neutropenia and agranulocytosis is not dose related within the therapeutic range.5

¶ The FDA-approved dosage of Ferriprox is 37.5 mg/kg to 49.5 mg/kg actual body weight, orally, twice daily with food for a total daily dose of 75 mg/kg to 99 mg/kg.

Flexible titration across the dose range helps patients reach their chelation targets

Inform patients that their urine might show a reddish/brown discoloration due to the excretion of iron. This is a very common sign of the desired effect, and it is not harmful.

Example:

Number of Ferriprox Twice-A-Day tablets per day based on a 60 kg patient (rounded to the nearest half tablet)

Dosing and Formulations: 75 mg/kg/day

Dosing and Formulations: 80 mg/kg/day

Dosing and Formulations: 99 mg/kg/day

No dosage adjustment required for patients with renal or hepatic impairment1,6

Ferriprox is suitable for patients with mild to severe renal or mild to moderate hepatic†† impairment.1,6

In clinical studies, renal or hepatic impairment had no significant effect on systemic exposure to Ferriprox.1,6

†† Ferriprox was not studied in a severely hepatically impaired patient population.

Dosing and Formulations: liver and kidneys in the body

Dosing and Formulations: Ferriprox bottle and pills

Indication

Ferriprox® (deferiprone) is an iron chelator indicated for the treatment of patients with transfusional iron overload due to thalassemia syndromes when current chelation therapy is inadequate.

Approval is based on a reduction in serum ferritin levels. There are no controlled trials demonstrating a direct treatment benefit, such as improvement in disease-related symptoms, functioning, or increased survival.
 

Limitations of Use

Safety and effectiveness have not been established for the treatment of transfusional iron overload in patients with other chronic anemias.
 

Important Safety Information

WARNING: AGRANULOCYTOSIS AND NEUTROPENIA

  • Ferriprox can cause agranulocytosis that can lead to serious infections and death. Neutropenia may precede the development of agranulocytosis.
  • Measure the absolute neutrophil count (ANC) before starting Ferriprox and monitor weekly while on therapy.
  • Interrupt Ferriprox if infection develops and monitor the ANC more frequently.
  • Advise patients taking Ferriprox to report immediately any symptoms indicative of infection.

Ferriprox is contraindicated in patients with known hypersensitivity to deferiprone or to any of the excipients in the formulation.

In clinical studies, 7.5% of 642 patients treated with deferiprone developed increased ALT values. Four (0.62%) deferiprone-treated subjects discontinued the drug due to increased serum ALT levels and 1 (0.16%) due to an increase in both ALT and AST. Monitor serum ALT values monthly during therapy with Ferriprox and consider interruption of therapy if there is a persistent increase in the serum transaminase levels. Decreased plasma zinc concentrations have been observed on deferiprone therapy. Monitor plasma zinc, and supplement in the event of a deficiency.

Ferriprox can cause fetal harm. Advise females of reproductive potential to use an effective method of contraception during treatment with Ferriprox and for at least six months after the last dose. Advise males with female partners of reproductive potential to use effective contraception during treatment with Ferriprox and for at least three months after the last dose. Advise females not to breastfeed during treatment with Ferriprox and for at least 2 weeks after the last dose.

Avoid co-administration of Ferriprox with other drugs known to be associated with neutropenia or agranulocytosis; however, if this is unavoidable, closely monitor the absolute neutrophil count. Avoid co-administration with UGT1A6 inhibitors. Allow at least a 4-hour interval between administration of Ferriprox and drugs or supplements containing polyvalent cations (e.g., iron, aluminum, or zinc).

The most common adverse reactions are (incidence ≥5%) nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain, alanine aminotransferase increased, arthralgia, and neutropenia.

Inform patients that their urine might show a reddish/brown discoloration due to the excretion of iron. This is a very common sign of the desired effect, and it is not harmful.

Advise patients to avoid alcohol while taking Ferriprox tablets (twice-a-day). Consumption of alcohol while taking Ferriprox tablets (twice-a-day) may result in more rapid release of deferiprone.
 

Please see full Prescribing Information, including boxed WARNING, and Medication Guide.

 

References:

  1. Ferriprox® (deferiprone) Prescribing Information. Chiesi, May 2020.
  2. Data on file.
  3. ApoPharma. Core Study Report for Study LA36-0310: Analysis of data from clinical studies of Ferriprox to evaluate its efficacy in patients with iron overload for whom previous chelation therapy has been inadequate. 2011.
  4. Binding A, et al. Deferiprone exerts a dose-dependent reduction of liver iron in adults with iron overload. Eur J Haematol 2019;103(2):80-87.
  5. Tricta F, et al. Deferiprone-induced agranulocytosis: 20 years of clinical observations. Am J Hematol 2016;91(10):1026-1031.
  6. Ferriprox® (deferiprone) Prescribing Information. Chiesi, April 2020.

 

©Chiesi USA, Inc. 2020. All rights reserved.
Ferriprox® is a registered trademark of CHIESI FARMACEUTICI S.p.A.
Chiesi Total CareSM is a service mark of CHIESI FARMACEUTICI S.p.A.
PP-G-0376 V3.0 November 2020

Privacy PolicyTerms of Use

You are now leaving ferriprox.com

Please be aware that the sponsors of this site are not responsible for content on the site you are about to enter.