Trade names Ferriprox ATC code V03AC02 (WHO) | Routes of
administration Oral | |
 | ||
AHFS/Drugs.com International Drug Names License data EU EMA: Ferriprox
US FDA: Deferiprone Pregnancy
category US: D (Evidence of risk) | ||
Deferiprone (tradenames include Ferriprox) is a drug that chelates iron and is used to treat iron overload in thalassaemia major. It was first approved for use in treating thalassaemia major in 1994 and had been licensed for use in Europe and Asia for many years while awaiting approval in Canada and the United States. On October 14, 2011, it was approved for use in the US under the FDA’s accelerated approval program.
Controversy
Deferiprone was at the center of a protracted struggle between Nancy Olivieri, a Canadian haematologist and researcher, and the Hospital for Sick Children and the pharmaceutical company Apotex, that started in 1996 and delayed approval of the drug in North America. Dr. Olivieri's data suggested deferiprone leads to progressive hepatic fibrosis.