Study of Deferasirox in Iron Overload From Beta-thalassemia Unable to be Treated With Deferoxamine or Chronic Anemias
Status:
Completed
Trial end date:
1969-12-31
Target enrollment:
Participant gender:
Summary
The purpose of this study is to determine the effects of the oral iron chelator Deferasirox
on liver iron content after one year of treatment in patients with iron overload from
repeated blood transfusions. Beta-thalassemia patients unable to be treated with deferoxamine
or patients with rare chronic anemias such as Myelodysplastic Syndrome, Fanconi's Syndrome,
Blackfan-Diamond Syndrome, and Pure Red Blood Cell Anemia are eligible for this study. Liver
iron content will be measured by liver biopsy at the beginning of the study and after one
year of treatment. However, those patients living in the San Francisco/Oakland area may have
a SQUID in place of the liver biopsy if the biopsy is not medically possible for them. The
SQUID is a non-invasive magnetic means to measure liver iron content.