Table 2.
Characteristics of different intravenous iron preparations.
| Molecular Weight | Half-Life | Administration | Disadvantages/Risks | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HMW Dextran (DexFerrum) |
100–500 kDa | 3–4 days | Single dose | Anaphylactoid reaction |
| LMW Dextran (CosmoFer) |
73 kDa | 5–20 h | Maximum single infusion of 20 mg/kg over 4–6 h | Immunoglobulin-E mediated anaphylactoid reaction |
| Sucrose (Venofer) |
34–60 kDa | 5–6 h | Single infusion up to 200 mg over 30 min | Multiple sessions needed in severe anaemia |
| Carboxymaltose (Ferrinject) |
150 kDa | 7–12 h | Single dose infusion of 1000 mg over 15 min (max dose of 20 mg/kg) | Hypophosphataemia |
| Isomaltoside (Monofer) |
1000 kDa | 1–4 days | Limited data in IBD | |
| Gluconate (Ferrlecit) |
37 kDa | 1 h | 8 infusions of 125 mg | Not currently for use in IBD |
| Ferumoxytol | 721 kDa | 14–21 h | 510 mg can be given in less than 1 min | High rate of adverse events Interference with MRI |
HMW: high molecular weight; LMW: low molecular weight; IBD: inflammatory bowel disease; MRI: magnetic resonance imaging.