ferric maltol: clinical use

Prescribing considerations

• Confirm iron deficiency with blood tests and investigate its underlying cause.
• Exclude severe anaemia and causes other than iron deficiency.
• Not recommended during an inflammatory bowel disease flare or when haemoglobin is below the product-specific threshold stated in the SmPC.
• Clinical data are unavailable in severe renal impairment and limited for hepatic impairment.

Contraindications and cautions

• Hypersensitivity to ferric maltol or an excipient
• Haemochromatosis or another iron-overload syndrome
• Repeated blood transfusions
• Rare hereditary galactose intolerance, total lactase deficiency or glucose-galactose malabsorption

Monitoring

• Assess full blood count and iron indices before treatment and during follow-up.
• Review clinical response, adherence and gastrointestinal tolerability.
• Reassess the diagnosis, ongoing blood loss, inflammation or malabsorption if response is inadequate.

Clinical pharmacology

Ferric maltol is a trivalent iron–trimaltol complex that dissociates during gastrointestinal uptake. Absorbed iron is transferred to transferrin and ferritin, while systemic exposure to the intact complex is negligible.

Formulation and product differences

• The selected product is a hard capsule that must be swallowed whole.
• It contains lactose, Allura Red AC and Sunset Yellow FCF; the colourants may cause allergic reactions.
• The capsule is unsuitable for children under 12 because it does not permit appropriate paediatric dosing.

Capsule

Route: Oral

Strengths: 30 mg