Anemia of Pregnancy clinical trials

Reducing Anemia in Pregnancy in India: the RAPIDIRON Trial

Anemia is a worldwide problem with iron deficiency being the most common cause. When anemia occurs in pregnancy, it increases the risk of adverse maternal, fetal, and postnatal outcomes. Anemia rates are among the highest in South Asia, with a recent national survey indicating that over half of pregnant women in India are classified as anemic. For nearly 40 years, India's first-level treatment for anemia in pregnancy has been oral iron; however, side effects, poor adherence to tablet ingestion, and low therapeutic impact are among reasons to consider a new paradigm for treatment of pregnant women with iron deficiency anemia (IDA). Reducing Anemia in Pregnancy in India: the RAPIDIRON Trial is a 3-arm, randomized-controlled trial designed to assess if a single dose of an intravenous (IV) iron formulation, administered early in the second trimester of pregnancy for treatment of moderate IDA, will result in a greater proportion of participants in the IV iron arms achieving a normal hemoglobin concentration in the third trimester when compared to participants randomized to receive oral iron. This trial is also designed to test the hypothesis that the low birth weight (LBW) rate for participants randomized to the IV iron arms will be lower when compared to the LBW rate of those randomly assigned to the oral iron arm. The three arms include two IV iron arms (arm 1 - ferric carboxymaltose, arm 2 - iron isomaltoside, also known as ferric derisomaltose) and an active, comparator arm receiving oral iron, which is the standard of care. This study will be conducted in two states in India - Karnataka and Rajasthan. This study supports the overall goals of the Indian Ministry of Health and Family Welfare for pregnancy care; thus, all study participants will be followed according to the Ministry's antenatal care guidelines, and data will be collected through 42 days post-delivery. (see attached protocol for more detail)