Table 1.

Comparison of iron chelators

Preperty	Deferoxamine	Deferiprone	Deferasirox
Chelator: Fe	1:1	3:1	2:1
Route of administration	Subcutaneous Intravenous Implantable delivery system	Oral	Oral
Usual dosage	25–50 mg/kg/day	75–100 mg/kg/day	20–30 mg/kg/day
Schedule	Administration overt 8–24 hours 5–7 days a week	3× daily	Daily
Half-life	Short (minutes)	Moderate (hours)	Long (8–46 hours)
Adverse effects	Local reactions Retinal toxicity Auditory toxicity Pulmonary toxicity	Agranulocytosis, with mild neutropenia Arthralgia/erosive arthritis	Abdominal discomfort with rash or mild diarrhea; mild elevation in creatinine
Monitoring	Hearing test Vision test Growth assessment Pulmonary function Renal function Liver Function	CBC with differential Zinc Liver function	CBC with differential Platelet count Liver function Renal function
Advantages	Long-term data available	May be superior in removal of cardiac iron	Once daily dosage

Abbreviation: CBC, complete blood count.