Sodium ferric gluconate complex in the treatment of iron deficiency for patients on dialysis

Intravenous iron has been found to be an important adjunctive therapy in th e treatment of anemia for patients on dialysis. In the United States, iron dextran had been the only form available for parenteral use until 1999. Thi s agent has been associated with a concerning number of severe adverse reac tions, in some cases resulting in patients' deaths. Recently, a form of iro n used for many years in Europe, sodium ferric gluconate complex in sucrose , was approved for intravenous use in the United States. Because this agent does not contain the immunogenic dextran component of iron dextran, it is expected that the safety profile of this drug should be superior to that of iron dextran. The purpose of this review is to critically appraise the rel evant literature and to synthesize the information into a strategy for clin ical use of this drug. (C) 2001 by the National Kidney Foundation, Inc.