Ferriprox Special Precautions

The most serious undesirable effect of deferiprone is the occurrence of a very low white blood cell count. This condition, known as severe neutropenia or agranulocytosis, has occurred in about 1 out of 100 patients who have taken deferiprone in clinical studies. Because white blood cells help to fight infection, a low white blood cell count may place the patient at risk to develop a serious infection. If an infection of this nature is not discovered and treated early, it could cause death. The doctor will ask the patient to have a blood test (to check the white blood cell count) performed regularly, as frequently as every week. It is very important to keep all of these appointments. Report immediately to the doctor any symptoms of infection such as: fever, sore throat of flu-like symptoms. The doctor will also ask the patient to come in for tests to monitor body iron load. In addition, the doctor also might ask the patient to undergo liver biopsies.
Patients with iron overload are at increased risk of cancer. In these circumstances, the impact of deferiprone is not known.
The positive and negative effects of iron chelation can only be demonstrated after many years. Therefore, further studies are ongoing. In addition, cancer-predicting studies are underway.
Effects on the Ability to Drive and Use Machines: There is no evidence that Ferriprox affects the ability to drive or use machinery.