Safety and Tolerability of 200mg and 100mg of Venofer Administered to Hemodialysis(HD) Patients

This is a randomized open label multi-center study of two parallel patient groups undergoing hemodialysis. Group A will receive 200 mg of iron sucrose, while Group B will receive 100 mg of iron sucrose during the study. The duration of the study for each patient will be approximately 3 weeks including a screening phase, a treatment visit and a follow-up visit.

Inclusion criteria

• Males or females over 18 years of age and able to give informed consent.
• Undergoing hemodialysis.
• If receiving epoetin α, then the dose was stable.
• Percentage serum transferrin saturation (TSAT) <50% and serum ferritin <800 ng/mL.
• Absence of infection, malignancy, or surgery in the month prior to study start.
• Intolerance of other iron products did not preclude participation in this study.

Exclusion criteria

• Known sensitivity to any component of Venofer®.
• Suffering from concomitant severe diseases of the liver, cardiovascular system, severe psychiatric disorders or other conditions which, in the opinion of the investigator, made participation unacceptable.
• Serious bacterial, viral infection, or other acute infectious illness (e.g., hepatitis) unless completely resolved at least 4 weeks prior to inclusion in the study.
• Pregnancy or lactation.
• HIV positive by medical history or laboratory test (optional), or active hepatitis.
• Anemia caused by diseases (including systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), rheumatoid arthritis, myeloma, or hereditary hemoglobinopathies) other than chronic renal failure or iron deficiency.
• Asthma.
• Clinical evidence of gastrointestinal bleeding.
• Would probably require blood transfusion or might undergo a renal transplant during the study.
• Anticipated surgery of any kind during the study other than vascular access surgery.
• Received an investigational drug within 30 days prior to screening.
• Previously participated in another Venofer® study.