← Kelly Casteel, MD

The Evolution of Iron Deficiency Treatment

An interactive, clinician-facing chronicle of how we treat iron deficiency — from 19th-century ferrous salts through the iron-dextran era and its anaphylaxis risk, to modern non-dextran and single-visit high-dose IV formulations, alongside the hepcidin science that reshaped oral dosing. Click any formulation to trace its development, pivotal trials, FDA milestones, and the safety signal that defined it. Toggle the IV iron lens to separate parenteral options from oral.
Data verified against ClinicalTrials.gov & primary literature · last reviewed Jul 2026
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Drug class
Trial phase
Ph 1 Ph 2 Ph 3
Status
Approved Investigational Withdrawn / failed
Activity
Ongoing only
NCCN
In NCCN v5.2026 Category 1 only
Reference
 
Solid outline = approved Dashed outline = investigational Dashed rose = withdrawn / failed Pulsing dot = ongoing trial badge = FDA / EMA approved NCCN category badge (1 / 2A / biomarker) Ambient curve = rising survival as approvals accrue
Scroll horizontally →  ·  click a drug node to open its trial lineage

Guideline reference

Not used on this page — iron deficiency has no single governing guideline
Guidance for iron-deficiency treatment is fragmented by clinical context (KDIGO for CKD, ACOG-summarised guidance for pregnancy, ECCO for IBD, ASMBS/TOS for post-bariatric) rather than a single unified framework. This reference layer is hidden on this page (see footer).