Vifor Pharma focuses on developing therapies for iron deficiency and anaemia. They concentrate on areas like haemodialysis, chronic kidney disease, cardiology, oncology, obstetrics/gynaecology, gastroenterology, and paediatrics. Iron deficiency is common in these groups due to blood loss from conditions like kidney disease, cancer, heavy periods, and gastrointestinal issues. Vifor Pharma's main iron products are Ferinject, Venofer, and Maltofer which can be given intravenously or orally to treat iron deficiency when oral supplements are not effective.
2. IRON THERAPIES
⢠Iron deficiency with or without anaemia is an
underlying condition in many chronic diseases.
Anaemia is defined by subnormal haemoglobin
levels that prevent the effective transport and
utilisation of oxygen. Because iron is the
functional component of haemoglobin, iron
deficiency occurs in most cases in connection
with, or even before, the onset of anaemia.
⢠Vifor Pharma, as a leading company in iron
replacement therapy, concentrates its activities
on the following strategic therapeutic areas:
4. HAEMODIALYSIS
⢠In patients with end-stage renal disease,
haemodialysis is used to substitute for lost
kidney function and remove waste products
(e.g. creatinine and urea) from blood. Patients
undergoing regular haemodialysis are often
iron-deficient due to the frequent blood loss
associated with haemodialysis.
5. Non-dialysis chronic kidney disease
(ND-CKD)
⢠Decreased kidney function in patients with
chronic kidney disease may reduce the
stimulation of red blood cell synthesis and the
utilisation of nutritional or stored iron. This
can lead to the development of anaemia even
in patients who are not on haemodialysis.
6. CARDIOLOGY
⢠Iron deficiency occurs frequently in patients
with chronic heart failure and is associated
with an increased risk of heart
transplantation. Chronic inflammatory
processes are often the main cause for
impaired iron metabolism.
7. ONCOLOGY
CHEMOTHERAPY INDUCED ANAEMIA
⢠Some cancer patients may experience iron
deficiency and anaemia. Both can result from
chronic bleeding associated with certain
tumour types (e.g. gastrointestinal tumours)
and changes in the utilisation of iron induced
by the tumour itself or different types of
chemotherapy.
8. GYNAECOLOGY AND OBSTETRICS
⢠Heavy menstrual bleeding, the high iron
requirements of a growing foetus during
pregnancy, and blood loss during
childbirth, are three conditions that put
women of childbearing age at greater risk of
becoming anaemic or iron-deficient.
9. MENOMETRORRHAGIA OR HEAVY
MENSTRUAL BLEEDING (HMB)
⢠Heavy uterine bleeding (HMB) is one of the
most common and economically significant
gynaecologic complaints . In clinical
practice, HMB is the leading cause of iron
deficiency with or without anaemia.
10. GASTROENTEROLOGY
⢠Iron deficiency and iron deficiency anaemia
are common complications in patients with
inflammatory bowel disease (ulcerative colitis
and Crohnâs disease) that result from chronic
blood loss and chronic inflammation
associated with the disease.
11. PATIENT BLOOD MANAGEMENT
⢠Surgery is associated with blood loss. Patients
that are already anaemic before surgery have
a higher risk of receiving a blood transfusion.
Patient blood management focuses on
avoiding blood transfusions by correcting
anaemia before starting a surgical procedure,
minimising blood loss during the surgery and
optimising the anaemia treatment
postoperatively.
12. PAEDIATRICS
⢠Iron deficiency and iron deficiency anaemia
can affect infants, children and adolescents.
Menstruating young women are at particularly
high risk of becoming iron deficient.
13. OTHER THERAPIES
In addition to iron replacement therapies, Vifor
Pharma focuses on the following therapeutic
areas:
⢠diabetic retinopathy and
⢠haemorrhoids.
14. DIABETIC RETINOPATHY
⢠Diabetic retinopathy is a microvascular
complication of diabetes and its prevalence
increases with the duration of diabetes.
Diabetic retinopathy is associated with
diabetic macular oedema, which is considered
as the principal cause of vision loss in persons
with diabetes. Independent of gender,
diabetic retinopathy is the leading cause of
blindness in working-aged persons.
15. HAEMORRHOIDS
⢠Haemorrhoids, also called piles, are
enlarged, engorged and inflamed veins in or
around the rectum and anus.
⢠Haemorrhoids can be inside and/or outside the
anus. They are not dangerous. Symptoms of
haemorrhoids include bright red blood from the
anus on toilet paper, itching around the
anus, pain and discomfort during and after bowel
movement and one or several tender lumps near
the anus.
16.
17. IRON PRODUCTS
⢠Vifor Pharma is a leader in iron replacement
therapy, with a history dating back to 1872
when pharmacist Conrad Ferdinand
Hausmann opened a pharmacy in St. Gallen,
Switzerland, and developed infusion
preparations and pharmaceutical specialities.
18. FerinjectÂŽ (ferric carboxymaltose)
Ferrum
⢠_FerinjectŽ is a solution of ferric
carboxymaltose used for
intravenous treatment of iron
deficiency when oral iron
preparations are ineffective or
cannot be used. The properties
of the complex, in particular its
stability, makes high dosing up
to 1000 mg iron possible. These
characteristics make Ferinject
the first non-dextran iron
complex for high iv iron dosing.
19. VenoferÂŽ (iron sucrose)
⢠VenoferŽ is the
established brand of a
solution of iron sucrose
used for intravenous
treatment of iron
deficiency when oral iron
preparations are
ineffective or cannot be
used.
20. MaltoferÂŽ (iron polymaltose)
⢠MaltoferŽ is a further iron carbohydrate
complex, i.e. iron polymaltose, available in
solution or in tablet form used for oral
treatment of iron deficiency and iron
deficiency anaemia as well as prophylactic oral
therapy of iron deficiency during pregnancy.