Reduction in erythropoietin doses by the use of chronic intravenous iron supplementation in iron-replete hemodialysis patients.

The authors from Taiwan state that they used “Ferrum Hausmann, a ferric polymaltose complex.” Under the same name (Ferrum Hausmann), iron saccharate (identical to iron sucrose) has been licensed in several European countries. The confusion concerning various iron sugar compounds gets even greater when one considers that “ferric polymaltose complex” was reported as being used orally (Jacobs P, Wood L, Bird AR. Erythrocytes: better tolerance of iron polymaltose complex compared with ferrous sulphate in the treatment of anaemia. Hematol 2000;5(1):77-83).

– C. Gasche.