NOVEL COMPOUNDS FOR IRON DEFICIENCY ANEMIA IN PREGNANCY.

Background: Iron deficiency anemia(IDA) remains a significant health challenge during pregnancy, adversely affecting both maternal and fetal outcomes. Despite the common use of oral iron supplements, their efficacy is often hindered by gastrointestinal side effects, leading to poor compliance. Intravenous iron therapies, such as ferric carboxymaltose (FCM) and iron (III) isomaltoside, have emerged as superior alternatives due to their ability to rapidly replenish iron stores and normalize hemoglobin levels

Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the hemoglobin rise and improvement in iron profile in antenatal patients with iron deficiency anemia on treatment with these newer iron formulations respectively.

Method :This open-label, two-arm randomized clinical trial was conducted from June 2022 to June 2024 at GSVM Medical College, Kanpur. Pregnant women with IDA were randomly assigned to receive either FCM or iron(III) isomaltoside. Hemoglobin levels and iron profiles were measured at baseline and at 3, 6, and 12 weeks post-treatment. Data were analysed using paired t-tests within groups and independent t-tests between groups.

Results: The study found that haemoglobin levels increased progressively in both groups, with the iron isomaltoside group achieving a higher mean haemoglobin level at 12 weeks (10.08644 g/dL) compared to the FCM group (9.47695 g/dL). Additionally, the iron isomaltoside group had higher mean levels of iron and ferritin and demonstrated more favorable total iron-binding capacity and transferrin saturation.

Conclusion: The findings indicated that iron isomaltoside was more effective than FCM in increasing hemoglobin levels and improving iron-related parameters in pregnant women with IDA.