Chronic diseases often result in iron deficiency anemia, typically treated with oral non-heme iron that has low absorption rates and significant side effects. Intravenous iron therapy is an alternative but carries risks of allergic reactions and oxidative stress. Heme iron supplementation offers a more effective solution, with better absorption, fewer side effects, and a user-friendly dosage, exemplified by Ferrocare's Optifer® tablets made from natural bovine heme iron.

1. PROBLEM – REACTION - SOLUTION

2. PROBLEM
Chronic diseases are often connected to
anaemia.
There is a large number of chronics in various
diseases with iron deficiency.
These are for instance Chronic kidney
disease, Inflammatory bowel disease or
Coronary heart disease patients and many
others.

3. PROBLEM
Iron-deficient chronic primary therapy is
normally oral iron in tablet form, which is
non-heme iron where the iron is
syntethically bound.
The main forms used are iron salts Ferrous
sulphate and Ferrous fumarate, Amino
acids chelates, Carbonyl iron and
Polysaccharide-iron complexes.

4. PROBLEM
Non-heme iron needs to disintegrate in the
stomach's acidic environment before the
iron ions can be absorbed.
If there is a acid-lowering achlorhydria
therapy going on such as Omeprazole,
which is often the case, this won’t happen
and no iron will be absorbed.

5. PROBLEM
Free iron ions are basically toxic for the
organism, so after breaking down of non-heme
iron there will be free iron ions in the
stomach.
This gives the typical side-effects problems
with oral iron. Absorption of non-heme iron
is low, 2 – 4 %.

6. REACTION
Sooner or later the oral non-heme therapy
will give increasing side-effects, so that the
therapy must be discontinued.
If serious and chronic iron deficiency is
present for any reason, it must be treated,
or life-threatening anemia will occur.

7. REACTION
The only remaining therapy alternative is
IV-, or intravenous iron.
This is administered in daily more or less
painful injections.

8. REACTION
Intravenous or IV-iron, however, also has
drawbacks.
There is a risk for allergic reactions and the
main risk is oxidative stress, since this is not
a natural way to absorb iron.
It is also very expensive.

9. SOLUTION
As opposed to non-heme iron, natural
hemoglobin is absorbed as a whole unit,
Heme iron supplementation works well over
longer time.
Efficacy, tolerance or uptake will not change
over time and there are very few side-effects.

10. SOLUTION
Dosage of heme iron tablets once per day is
very user-friendly.
Heme iron dosage does not need medical
assistance, thus freeing the patient to for
instance travel.

11. SOLUTION
Uptake of heme iron is 15 – 25 %, which is
several times that of oral non-heme.
In studies side-effects are at placebo-level.
Heme iron is reasonably priced.

12. Swedish company FerroCare/MediTec
has a strong commitment to reach
people suffering from iron deficiency,
but have problems with existing
supplements.

13. • OptiFer® tablets are based on natural
bovine heme iron and will safely and
efficiently keep iron counts at an
optimal level.
www.ferrocare.se www.hemeiron.com