Deferiprone

Deferiprone (tradenames include Ferriprox) is an oral drug that chelates iron and is used to treat thalassaemia major.^[1]

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It is currently licenced for use in the Europe and Asia, but not in Canada and the United States.^[1]

Controversy

Deferiprone was at the centre of a protracted struggle between Nancy Olivieri, a Canadian haematologist and researcher, and the Hospital for Sick Children and pharmaceutical giant Apotex, that started in 1996.^[2] Dr. Olivieri's data suggested that deferiprone lead to progressive hepatic fibrosis, a finding which is in dispute.^[3][4]

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Savulescu J (2004). "Thalassaemia major: the murky story of deferiprone". BMJ 328 (7436): 358-9. PMID 14962851. Full Text.
2. ^ Viens A, Savulescu J (2004). "Introduction to The Olivieri symposium.". J Med Ethics 30 (1): 1-7. PMID 14872065. Free Full Text.
3. ^ Brittenham G, Nathan D, Olivieri N, Porter J, Pippard M, Vichinsky E, Weatherall D (2003). "Deferiprone and hepatic fibrosis". Blood 101 (12): 5089-90; author reply 5090-1. PMID 12788794. Full Text.
4. ^ Wanless I, Sweeney G, Dhillon A, Guido M, Piga A, Galanello R, Gamberini M, Schwartz E, Cohen A (2002). "Lack of progressive hepatic fibrosis during long-term therapy with deferiprone in subjects with transfusion-dependent beta-thalassemia". Blood 100 (5): 1566-9. PMID 12176871. Full Text.

See also

• Deferoxamine
• Deferasirox