Pharmacokinetics and Safety of Intravenous Ferric Pyrophosphate Citrate: Equivalence to Administration via Dialysate

Ferric pyrophosphate citrate (FPC) is indicated to maintain hemoglobin in patients with stage 5 hemodialysis‐dependent chronic kidney disease on chronic hemodialysis by addition to the dialysate. An intravenous (IV) FPC presentation containing 6.75 mg of iron in 4.5 mL was developed. The objective was to establish the equivalence of iron delivery via dialysate and IV infusion using a pharmacokinetic approach. An open‐label, randomized, multiple‐period, single‐dose, crossover study was conducted in 27 patients with CKD‐5HD. Each patient received (1) a basal iron profile over 12 hours, (2) FPC 6.75 mg Fe IV predialyzer, (3) FPC 6.75 mg Fe IV postdialyzer, and (4) FPC 2 μM (110 μg Fe/L of hemodialysate). Serum and plasma iron was analyzed for total Fe and transferrin bound iron (TBI). Equivalence was determined by comparing maximum observed concentration and area under the concentration‐time curve from time 0 to the last observation of 110 μg Fe/L of hemodialysate (reference) and test treatments Fe predialyzer and postdialyzer iron profiles. The main outcome measure was the measurement of bioequivalence between the reference and test treatments. Bioequivalence parameters showed that infusion of FPC iron IV, predialyzer and postdialyzer delivered equivalent iron as via hemodialysate. The increment in serum total Fe from predialysis to postdialysis was the same as observed in the long‐term clinical studies of FPC. FPC IV was well tolerated. IV infusion of 6.75 mg iron as FPC during 3 hours of HD delivers an equivalent amount of iron as when Triferic is delivered via hemodialysate. The IV presentation of FPC extends the ability to provide FPC iron to all patients receiving hemodialysis or hemodiafiltration.