Effect of ferric derisomaltose on cardiovascular and non-cardiovascular events in patients with iron deficiency anemia and heart failure

A recent study found that the administration of intravenous ferric derisomaltose (FDI) in patients diagnosed with both iron deficiency anemia and heart failure with reduced left ventricular ejection fraction has been found to improve their quality of life and may decrease cardiovascular events. This study’s results were published in the Journal of Cardiac Failure.

In the IRONMAN trial, patients with heart failure, iron deficiency (ferritin <100 µg/L or transferrin saturation of <20%), and a left ventricular ejection fraction of ≤45% were enrolled. Out of the total, 68% (n= 771) had anemia (hemoglobin less than 12 g/dL for women and less than 13 g/dL for men). Patients were then randomly assigned to either FDI (n = 397) or usual care (n = 374) and were followed for a median duration of 2.6 years. The primary endpoint of the study was recurrent hospitalization for heart failure and cardiovascular death.

The occurrence of recurrent hospitalization for heart failure and cardiovascular death was less frequent among individuals assigned to FDI (rate ratio 0.78, 95% confidence interval of 0.61-1.01, and the p-value = 0.063). Similarly, the first event analysis for cardiovascular hospitalization or death for heart failure showed similar results (hazard ratio of 0.77, 95% confidence interval of 0.62-0.96 ; p-value = 0.022). Additionally, patients who were randomized to FDI reported better quality of life scores for overall (p-value = 0.013) and physical domain (p-value = 0.00093) at 4 months, as measured by the Minnesota Living with Heart Failure questionnaire.

The above study demonstrated that the administration of intravenous FDI improves the quality of life in patients diagnosed with both iron deficiency anemia and heart failure with reduced left ventricular ejection fraction, and it may also lead to a decrease in cardiovascular events.