Formulary
Deferiprone: Indications, Dosing, Side Effects and Interactions
Deferiprone is an oral iron chelator.
MedNext Academy | 3 min read
Deferiprone: Indications, Dosing, Side Effects and Interactions
Deferiprone is an oral iron chelator.
Drug action
Deferiprone is an oral iron chelator.
Indications and dose
**Treatment of iron overload in patients with thalassaemia major in whom desferrioxamine is contraindicated or is inadequate**
- **Adult** (By Mouth): 25 mg/kg 3 times a day; maximum 100 mg/kg per day.
**Treatment of iron overload in patients with thalassaemia major in whom desferrioxamine is contraindicated or is inadequate for deferiprone**
- **Child 6-17 years** (By mouth): 25 mg/kg 3 times a day; maximum 100 mg/kg per day.
Contraindications
History of agranulocytosis or recurrent neutropenia
Side effects
Common or very common Abdominal pain (reducing dose and increasing gradually may improve tolerance); agranulocytosis; appetite increased; arthralgia; diarrhoea (reducing dose and increasing gradually may improve tolerance); fatigue; headache; nausea (reducing dose and increasing gradually may improve tolerance); neutropenia; urine discolouration; vomiting (reducing dose and increasing gradually may improve tolerance) Frequency not known Skin reactions; zinc deficiency
Interactions
**Other interactions (4):**
- Since deferiprone binds to metallic cations, the potential exists for interactions between deferiprone and trivalent cation-dependent medicinal products such as aluminium based antacids.
- Therefore, it is not recommended to concomitantly ingest aluminium based antacids and deferiprone.
- The safety of concurrent use of deferiprone and vitamin C has not been formally studied.
- Based on the reported adverse interaction that can occur between deferoxamine and vitamin C, caution should be used when administering deferiprone and vitamin C concurrently.
Pregnancy
Manufacturer advises avoid during pregnancy-teratogenic and embryotoxic in animal studies.
Breast feeding
Manufacturer advises avoid-no information available.
Hepatic impairment
Manufacturer advises caution (no information available)-monitor hepatic function and consider interrupting treatment if persistent elevation in serum alanine aminotransferase. Manufacturer advises caution in patients with hepatitis C (ensure iron chelation is optimal)-monitor liver histology .
Renal impairment
Caution in end-stage renal disease (no information available). M
Medicinal forms
Capsule,Tablet,Solution
Clinical governance
**Author:** MedNext Clinical Team. **Clinical reviewer:** Dr Shameer Deen, MBBS, MS, MRCS. **Sources:** BNF, Indian Pharmacopoeia, CIMS India. **Correction:** Report errors at support@mednext.academy.
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