Indications
Kelfer Capsule is used for:
Thalassaemia, Iron overload
Adult Dose
Transfusional Iron Overload
Iron chelator indicated for treatment of transfusional iron overload caused by thalassemia syndromes when current chelation therapy is inadequate
25-33 mg/kg PO TID (ie, total daily dosage range 75-99 mg/kg/day)
Round dose to nearest 250 mg
Child Dose
Renal Dose
Administration
May be taken with or without food.
Contra Indications
Agranulocytosis, pregnancy and lactation.
Precautions
Hepatic and renal impairment. Neutropenia, monitor neutrophil count wkly and discontinue treatment if neutropenia develops. Limited experience in children 6-10 yr.
Lactation: Unknown whether distributed in breast milk; because of the potential for adverse reactions in nursing infants, a decision should be made whether to discontinue nursing or to discontinue the drug, taking into account the importance of the drug to the mother
Pregnancy-Lactation
Pregnancy
Limited available data with use in pregnant women are insufficient to inform a drug-associated risk of major birth defects and miscarriage
Verify the pregnancy status of females of reproductive potential prior to initiating therapy
Contraception
Females: Advise females of reproductive potential to avoid pregnancy during treatment and 6 months of contraception is recommended after cessation of therapy; advise females to immediately report pregnancy
Males: Advise males with female sexual partners of reproductive potential to use effective contraception during treatment and 3 months of contraception is recommended after cessation of therapy
Lactation
There is no information regarding the presence of deferiprone in human milk, the effects on the breastfed child, or the effects on milk production
Because of the potential for serious adverse reactions, including the potential for tumorigenicity shown for deferiprone in animal studies, advise not to breastfeed during treatment and for 2 weeks after last dose
Interactions
Avoid using deferiprone with aluminium-containing antacids as it can chelates trivalent metal ions.
Side Effects
Side effects of Deferiprone :
>10%
Chromaturia (14.6%), Nausea (12.6%), Abdominal pain/discomfort (10.4%)
1-10%
Arthralgia (9.8%), Vomiting (9.8%), Increased ALT (7.5%), Decreased neutrophil count (7.3%), Neutropenia (6.2%), Increased appetite (4%), Diarrhea (3%), Headache (2.5%), Dyspepsia (2%), Back pain (2%), Extremity pain (1.9%), Increased weight (1.9%), Agranulocytosis (1.7%), Arthropathy (1.4%), Increased AST (1.2%), Decreased appetite (1.1%)
Mode of Action
Deferiprone is an orally effective iron-chelating agent. It is being used when desferrioxamine is unsuitable or contraindicated.
Note
Kelfer 250mg Capsule generic name is Deferiprone. Kelfer 250mg Capsule is manufactured by Cipla Ltd.Kelfer is availble in all over Bangladesh.
Mes BD drug index information on Kelfer Capsule is not intended for diagnosis, medical advice or treatment; neither intended to be a substitute for the exercise of professional judgment.