We present results from a prospective, multicenter, open-label, single-arm study evaluating response of cardiac and liver iron to deferasirox therapy for 18 months. Twenty-eight patients with abnormal T2* and normal left ventricular ejection fraction were enrolled from 4 US centers. All patients initially received deferasirox doses of 30 to 40 mg/kg per day. Patients were severely iron overloaded: mean liver iron concentration (LIC) 20.3 mg Fe/g dry weight, serum ferritin 4417 ng/mL, and cardiac T2* 8.6 ms. In the intent-to-treat population, 48% reached the primary endpoint (cardiac T2* improvement at 18 months, P ؍ not significant). There were 2 deaths: 1 from congestive heart failure and 1 from sepsis. In the 22 patients completing the trial, LIC and cardiac T2* improvements were 16% (P ؍ .06) and 14% (P ؍ .07), respectively. Cardiac T2* improvement (13 patients) was predicted by initial LIC, final LIC, and percentage LIC change, but not initial cardiac T2*.
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