Safety of ICL670 vs. Deferoxamine in Sickle Cell Disease Patients With Iron Overload Due to Blood Transfusions

Patients who require repeated blood transfusions accumulate iron in the body as blood cells contain iron and there is no natural body mechanism to eliminate it. After a while the iron levels get high enough to be toxic to the body. The current therapy of choice is deferoxamine which does a good job of removing excess iron, but is difficult to administer. Deferoxamine requires subcutaneous (under the skin) infusions over 4 to 8 hours nightly 3 to 7 nights per week. In addition to the need to wear an infusion pump nightly, adverse reactions around the site of the injection are frequent.