Abstract:
This analysis evaluated the effects of deferasirox on liver iron concentration in moderate and heavily iron-overloaded patients with β-thalassaemia from the ESCALATOR trial (n=231). Mean liver iron concentrations (LIC) decreased significantly from 21.1±8.2 to 14.2±12.1mg Fe-g dry weight (dw) at 2yr (P0.001) in patients with LIC ≥7mg Fe-g dw at baseline; patients with LIC 7mg Fe-g dw maintained these levels over the treatment period. The proportion of patients with LIC 7mg Fe-g dw increased from 9.4percent at core baseline to 39.3percent by the end of year 2. The results showed that deferasirox enabled therapeutic goals to be achieved, by maintaining LIC in patients with LIC 7mg Fe-g dw at a mean dose of 22.4±5.2mg-kg-d and significantly reducing LIC in patients with LIC ≥7mg Fe-g dw at a mean dose of 25.7±4.2mg-kg-d, along with a manageable safety profile. © 2011 John Wiley and Sons A-S.