Deferoxamine
Deferoxamine is an iron-chelating (iron-binding) injectable medicine used as an add-on treatment for acute iron poisoning and to treat iron overload from repeated blood transfusions in people with chronic anemia.
🧬 Where this information comes from
The clinical label records used on this page are FDA-filed Structured Product Labeling (SPL) retrieved through openFDA. We identified 6 clinical label sets within the page’s selected clinical scope after exact ingredient or ingredient-combination matching and applicable route/form matching. Forms, routes, brands, labelers, strengths, and NDC product-record counts are built separately from matching FDA National Drug Code Directory records. The linked DailyMed document is a representative official source for verification, not the page’s only clinical source. View the linked label on DailyMed →
Deferoxamine (Desferal) is an injectable iron binder that grabs excess iron so the kidneys can flush it out. It is used with standard care for acute iron poisoning and for iron overload from repeated transfusions in chronic anemia. Around since about 1968 and available as a generic, it is the original chelator (iron-binding drug), though newer oral ones often come first for long-term overload. It is fairly well tolerated, and most people mainly notice soreness, redness or itching where it goes in. Report any change in vision (blurring, trouble with colors or night vision) or hearing (ringing, loss) right away, and keep up regular eye and hearing tests.
Clinical pearls
- Avoid vitamin C supplements in the first month, and afterward take them only at the dose your prescriber sets (never with heart failure).
- Reddish urine is expected as bound iron leaves through the kidneys, but report making less urine than usual.
- Tell anyone ordering a gallium-67 scan, since deferoxamine distorts the images and should be stopped 48 hours beforehand.
- Call promptly about severe belly pain or diarrhea, which can signal a Yersinia infection, or any shortness of breath.
Patient Information Guide A plain-language walkthrough of Deferoxamine, written from its FDA label.
What Deferoxamine Is Used For
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Deferoxamine mesylate for injection (including Deferoxamine and Desferal products) is an iron-chelating agent used for:
- Acute iron intoxication (iron poisoning), as an add-on to standard treatment
- Transfusional iron overload in patients with chronic anemia
It is not for primary hemochromatosis, where phlebotomy is preferred.
How Deferoxamine Works
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Deferoxamine binds iron and forms a stable complex that stops the iron from reacting further. It readily pulls iron from ferritin and hemosiderin (iron storage forms). It does not pull iron easily from transferrin, and it does not take iron from hemoglobin or cytochromes. It does not noticeably increase loss of electrolytes or trace metals.
Deferoxamine Dosage
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Deferoxamine is given by injection or infusion, never as a pill. Your care team decides the route, speed and schedule based on your weight and iron levels.
- Acute iron poisoning: into a muscle if you are not in shock, or into a vein only if you are in cardiovascular collapse.
- Chronic iron overload: as a subcutaneous infusion, an intravenous infusion over several hours, or an intramuscular injection.
Follow your prescriber's instructions and the product label.
Dosing details from the FDA-approved label
From the Deferoxamine prescribing information (“Dosage and Administration”). Doses are set by your prescriber for your product, condition, kidney function and age — never change a dose on your own.
- Acute Iron Intoxication - Intramuscular Administration (all patients not in shock; adults and pediatric patients)
- Initial dose is 1,000 mg intramuscularly once
- Depending upon the clinical response, subsequent doses of 500 mg may be administered every 4 hours to 12 hours
- Maximum: 6,000 mg in 24 hours
- Acute Iron Intoxication - Intravenous Administration (only patients in a state of cardiovascular collapse; adults and pediatric patients)
- Initial dose is 1,000 mg at a rate not to exceed 15 mg/kg/hr
- Depending upon the clinical response, subsequent doses of 500 mg may be administered every 4 hours to 12 hours at a rate of up to 125 mg/hr
- Maximum: 6,000 mg in 24 hours
- Only by slow infusion; as soon as the clinical condition permits, discontinue intravenous administration and give intramuscularly.
- Chronic Iron Overload - Subcutaneous Infusion
- Average daily dose is between 20 and 60 mg/kg
- Serum ferritin below 2,000 ng/mL: about 25 mg/kg/day
- Serum ferritin between 2,000 and 3,000 ng/mL: about 35 mg/kg/day
- Higher serum ferritin: may require up to 55 mg/kg/day
- Not advisable to regularly exceed an average of 50 mg/kg/day except when very intensive chelation is needed in patients who have completed growth; infuse over 8 to 12 hours, 5 to 7 times a week.
- Chronic Iron Overload - Intravenous Administration, adults
- 40 mg/kg/day to 50 mg/kg/day over 8 hours to 12 hours at a rate of up to 15 mg/kg/hour for 5 days to 7 days per week
- Maximum: 60 mg/kg/day
- Chronic Iron Overload - Intravenous Administration, pediatric patients
- 20 mg/kg/day to 40 mg/kg/day over 8 hours to 12 hours for 5 days to 7 days per week
- Maximum: 40 mg/kg/day until growth (body weight and linear growth) has ceased
- Chronic Iron Overload - Intramuscular Administration
- 500 mg to 1,000 mg per day
- Maximum: 1,000 mg per day
Read the label’s full dosing text
2 DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION The dosage (based on body weight in mg/kg/day), rates of administration, and mode of administration for both adults and pediatric patients are individually determined and adapted during the course of therapy based on the severity of the patient's iron overload. The minimum daily dose of Deferoxamine Mesylate for Injection is 20 mg/kg/day for both adults and pediatric patients. The maximum daily dose is 40 mg/kg/day for pediatric patients and 60 mg/kg/day for adults. Acute Iron Intoxication: ( 2.1 ) • Intramuscular Administration: Use for patients not in shock. Initial dose is 1,000 mg. Depending upon the clinical response, subsequent doses of 500 mg may be administered every 4 hours to 12 hours. Maximum dose is 6,000 mg in 24 hours. • Intravenous Administration: Only for patients in a state of cardiovascular collapse. Initial dose is 1,000 mg at a rate not to exceed 15 mg/kg/hr. Depending upon the clinical response, subsequent doses of 500 mg may be administered every 4 hours to 12 hours at a rate of up to 125 mg/hr. Maximum dose is 6,000 mg in 24 hours Chronic Iron Overload : ( 2.2 ) • Subcutaneous Infusion: Average daily dose is between 20 and 60 mg/kg. In patients with serum ferritin level below 2,000 ng/mL require about 25 mg/kg/day. Patients with serum ferritin level between 2,000 and 3,000 ng/mL require about 35 mg/kg/day. Patients with higher serum ferritin may require up to 55 mg/kg/day. • Intravenous Administration: 20 mg/kg/day to 40 mg/kg/day for pediatric patients and 40 mg/kg/day to 50 mg/kg/day over 8 hours to 12 hours in adults for 5 days to 7 days per week. In pediatric patients and adults, maximum dose should not exceed 40 mg/kg/day and 60 mg/kg/day, respectively. • Intramuscular Administration: 500 mg to maximum daily dose of 1,000 mg. See Full Prescribing Information for instructions on preparation of Deferoxamine Mesylate for Injection for administration. ( 2.3 ) Vitamin C (up to 200 mg) increases availability of iron for chelation and may be given as an adjuvant to iron chelation therapy. ( 2.4 ) 2.1 Recommended Dosage for Treatment of Acute Iron Intoxication for Adults and Pediatric Patients Intramuscular (IM) Administration Use for all patients not in shock. The initial recommended dose of Deferoxamine Mesylate for Injection is 1,000 mg intramuscularly (IM) once.
Excerpted — the section continues on the label. Read the full Dosage and Administration section on DailyMed →
Deferoxamine Side Effects
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Common effects are often related to the injection itself.
Common side effects
- Pain, burning, swelling, redness or itching at the injection site
- Nausea, vomiting or diarrhea
- Abdominal discomfort or pain
- Headache
- Fever
- Joint or muscle aches and muscle spasms
- Dizziness
- Rash or hives
When to get medical help
- Get emergency help for signs of a severe allergic reaction, such as flushing, hives, swelling, low blood pressure or trouble breathing.
- Tell your doctor right away about changes in vision, such as blurred vision, trouble seeing colors or night vision, or vision loss.
- Report ringing in the ears or any hearing loss.
- Call your doctor about signs of infection, especially severe belly symptoms or diarrhea (Yersinia), or any suspected fungal infection (mucormycosis). Treatment may need to stop.
- Report shortness of breath, which can signal serious lung problems, especially after high intravenous doses.
- Tell your doctor about reduced urination or other kidney problems.
- Report seizures or confusion, especially if you have aluminum overload or are on dialysis.
- Report a fast heartbeat or heart symptoms, especially if you also take vitamin C.
Deferoxamine Warnings and Precautions
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- Allergic reactions, including anaphylaxis, are more likely with rapid intravenous injection.
- Eye and hearing problems are more likely with long use, high doses or low ferritin. Periodic eye and hearing tests are advised.
- Kidney problems can occur, so kidney function is monitored.
- Lung problems (ARDS) have occurred with very high intravenous doses.
- Slowed growth can occur in children on high doses.
- Serious infections (Yersinia, mucormycosis) can occur, some fatal.
- Heart problems can occur with high-dose vitamin C.
- Aluminum overload: it may cause seizures, dialysis dementia and worsen hyperparathyroidism.
Deferoxamine Interactions
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A few interactions matter most.
- Vitamin C: high doses have caused reversible heart problems, so timing and amount are limited.
- Prochlorperazine: may cause temporary impairment of consciousness.
- Gallium-67 scans: images may be distorted, so deferoxamine is stopped 48 hours before.
Interactions listed in the FDA-approved label
From the Deferoxamine prescribing information (“Drug Interactions”): what the manufacturer studied or reported to the FDA.
- Prochlorperazine: Concurrent treatment with deferoxamine mesylate and prochlorperazine, a phenothiazine derivative, may lead to temporary impairment of consciousness.
- Gallium-67 (scintigraphy): Imaging results may be distorted because of the rapid urinary excretion of deferoxamine-bound gallium-67. Discontinue Deferoxamine Mesylate for Injection 48 hours prior to scintigraphy.
Read the label’s full interactions text
7 DRUG INTERACTIONS • Concurrent treatment with prochlorperazine may lead to temporary impairment of consciousness. ( 7.1 ) • Imaging results may be distorted due to rapid urinary excretion of Deferoxamine Mesylate for Injection bound gallium-67. Discontinue Deferoxamine Mesylate for Injection 48 hours prior to scintigraphy. ( 7.2 ) 7.1 Prochlorperazine Concurrent treatment with Deferoxamine Mesylate for Injection and prochlorperazine, a phenothiazine derivative, may lead to temporary impairment of consciousness. 7.2 Gallium-67 Imaging results may be distorted because of the rapid urinary excretion of Deferoxamine Mesylate for Injection-bound gallium-67. Discontinue Deferoxamine Mesylate for Injection 48 hours prior to scintigraphy.
Not a complete list. The label covers the interactions the manufacturer studied or reported, and our own interaction database does not cover every medicine either. Bring your full medication list, including vitamins and herbal products, to your pharmacist.
Before Taking Deferoxamine
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- Do not use with a past allergic reaction to deferoxamine.
- Do not use with severe kidney disease or anuria.
- Pregnancy: possible fetal harm, so use effective contraception during treatment and for one month after.
- Breastfeeding: avoid during treatment and for one week after the last dose.
- Children under 3: safety and effectiveness have not been established, and use is generally not recommended.
- Older adults: possible higher risk of eye and hearing problems, with cautious dosing.
- Kidney or liver impairment: dosing usually starts low.
Deferoxamine Overdose
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Too much, or an intravenous dose given too fast, may cause low blood pressure, fast or slow heartbeat, stomach upset, temporary vision loss, headache, agitation, coma, kidney failure or lung problems. There is no specific antidote. Treatment is stopped and supportive care is given. Deferoxamine can be removed by dialysis.
What Deferoxamine Does in the Body
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Deferoxamine binds iron from ferritin and hemosiderin, forming a stable, water-soluble complex. Roughly 100 parts of deferoxamine can bind about 8.5 parts of ferric iron. It does not meaningfully raise loss of electrolytes or trace metals.
How Your Body Processes Deferoxamine
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Plasma enzymes break down deferoxamine, though the exact pathways are not defined. The iron-bound complex dissolves easily in water and passes through the kidneys, giving urine a reddish color. Some is also cleared in stool through bile.
How to Store Deferoxamine
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STORE AT: 20 ºC to 25 °C ( 68 ºF to 77 °F) .
Written from the FDA-approved label with AI and reviewed by our pharmacy team. How we use AI →
Deferoxamine: Pharmacist Answers to Common Questions
Quick, plain-English answers to the questions patients ask most about Deferoxamine — the kind of thing our pharmacy team would talk through with you at the counter.
What is Deferoxamine used for?
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Why does my urine look reddish?
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What side effects should I call about?
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Can I take vitamin C with Deferoxamine?
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Can I drive while on Deferoxamine?
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Is Deferoxamine safe in pregnancy or while breastfeeding?
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Is Deferoxamine available over the counter?
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When was Deferoxamine first available?
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Who makes Deferoxamine?
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Answers drafted from the FDA-approved label with AI and reviewed by our pharmacy team. How we use AI →
More About Deferoxamine on HelloPharmacist
Deferoxamine Forms and Strengths (How It Comes)
Deferoxamine is available in 1 form. Different forms and brands can have different approved uses, doses, schedules, and directions. Follow the instructions for your exact product, and do not switch forms without guidance from your prescriber or pharmacist.
Need a version that does not list lactose, a gluten source, a dye or gelatin? Inactive ingredients differ by manufacturer: see Deferoxamine inactive ingredients by manufacturer.
Injection
How this form is used
- Desferal is used as an add-on to standard care for acute iron intoxication.
- Desferal is used for transfusional iron overload in patients with chronic anemia.
- Deferoxamine mesylate for injection is not indicated for primary hemochromatosis.
- Desferal for acute iron poisoning: the intramuscular route is for patients not in shock, and the intravenous route is only for patients in cardiovascular collapse.
- Desferal for chronic iron overload may be given as a subcutaneous infusion, an intravenous infusion over several hours, or an intramuscular injection.
- Deferoxamine mesylate for injection should be given into a muscle or by slow subcutaneous or intravenous infusion, not rapid intravenous injection.
Deferoxamine on the U.S. Market: Products, Makers and Brands
How Deferoxamine appears in the FDA’s National Drug Code Directory — including its dosage forms, strengths, brand names, manufacturers, and FDA-listed product records. These are directory records, not sales or prescription volume.
6 companies list 9 Deferoxamine product records with the FDA, mostly as injection; the earliest marketing or approval year on record is 1968. Brand names on the directory include Desferal; the rest are generics.
Also listed with the FDA, not a patient dose form: Powder (7) — bulk drug substance and unfinished product sold to compounders and other manufacturers to finish, and multi-item kits. These aren’t counted in the dose-form total above.
Share of FDA-listed product records by manufacturer — FDA National Drug Code Directory. Record counts are not sales or prescription volume.
How Widely Deferoxamine Is Used (Medicaid Data)
A general measure of how commonly Deferoxamine is prescribed, based on Medicaid — one of the largest public drug programs. The figure below is prescriptions filled in Q1–Q4 2025, summed across every form and brand of the drug.
Think of this as a proxy for how widely Deferoxamine is used, drawn from freely available public data. Medicaid is just one program — these numbers don’t include Medicare, other government coverage, or commercial and cash-pay prescriptions, so real-world use is higher than what’s shown here.
How commonly is Deferoxamine prescribed? Of the 1,603 medications we measure, Deferoxamine ranks #1,027 by Medicaid prescriptions — more than 36% of them.
Utilization by Deferoxamine product
Pick a product to see its own Medicaid numbers. Each chip is one clinical product — a specific strength & dosage form as defined by RxNorm — with brand-name and generic versions combined.
deferoxamine mesylate 2000 MG Injection Most dispensed
Summed across the 3 of 9 listed NDC products with Medicaid activity — every brand and generic of this exact strength & form. RxNorm 1731345
deferoxamine mesylate 500 MG Injection
Summed across the 3 of 11 listed NDC products with Medicaid activity — every brand and generic of this exact strength & form. RxNorm 1731350
Shares are of the Medicaid prescriptions shown here. Product grouping follows RxNorm (the National Library of Medicine’s drug terminology), so “one product” means one strength & dosage form regardless of manufacturer. Dollar figures are gross Medicaid reimbursement before mandatory rebates — rebates (often large, especially for brand-name drugs) are confidential, so actual net cost to Medicaid is lower than shown.
Source: Medicaid State Drug Utilization Data (CMS), aggregated by generic ingredient — summed across every NDC (all brands, strengths, salt forms and dosage forms) of Deferoxamine, and across all states and both fee-for-service and managed-care claims. A general popularity signal; it excludes Medicare, commercial insurance and cash prescriptions, so it is not total U.S. use. Based on the 6 of 20 listed Deferoxamine NDCs with Medicaid activity.
Compare Deferoxamine Products
A representative set of FDA-listed product records for Deferoxamine — across manufacturers, strengths, and dosage forms, grouped by form with each product’s manufacturer and how the FDA approved it. The same medicine may be made and packaged by different companies, so a single drug can have many directory entries. (It’s also why a refill can look different — a new shape, color, or box — even though it contains the same medication.)
| Strength | Route | Manufacturer / Labeler | Category ⓘ | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 💊Injection | ||||
| 500 mg | Intramuscular, Intravenous, Subcutaneous | Apotex Corp. | ANDA | View NDC → |
| 2 g | Intramuscular, Intravenous | Apotex Corp. | ANDA | View NDC → |
| 95 mg/mL | Intramuscular, Intravenous, Subcutaneous | Fresenius Kabi USA, LLC × 2 listings | ANDA | View NDC → |
| 500 mg | Intramuscular, Intravenous, Subcutaneous | Gland Pharma Limited | ANDA | View NDC → |
| 2 g | Intramuscular, Intravenous, Subcutaneous | Gland Pharma Limited | ANDA | View NDC → |
| 2 g | Intramuscular, Intravenous, Subcutaneous | Hospira, Inc. | ANDA | View NDC → |
| 500 mg/5 mL | Intravenous, Subcutaneous | Mitem Pharma | NDA | View NDC → |
| 500 mg | Intramuscular, Intravenous, Subcutaneous | Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation | NDA | View NDC → |
Showing 9 of 9 products — FDA National Drug Code Directory. See every product, package size and price: browse all 9 Deferoxamine NDCs →
Deferoxamine Side Effects Reported to the FDA (FAERS)
After a medicine reaches the market, patients, doctors and drugmakers can send the FDA reports of problems they think may be linked to it. Here’s what’s been reported for Deferoxamine — a signal of what to watch for, not proof the drug caused it.
Source: openFDA, from the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). These are voluntary reports — they don’t prove the drug caused the effect, and counts reflect how often something was reported, not how often it actually happens. Reports also often name the very problem the medicine is taken for — a common reason to file one is that the drug didn’t help — so for a pain reliever you may see “pain” high on the list; that points to why the report was filed, not to the drug causing the symptom. This counts every report that lists Deferoxamine in any role, so the total runs higher than the FDA’s official dashboard, which counts only cases where the drug is the suspect. For the authoritative figures, see the FDA FAERS Public Dashboard. Always talk to your pharmacist or doctor.
Deferoxamine FDA Approval History
How Deferoxamine went from FDA review to the pharmacy shelf — the key milestones in its regulatory journey.
Source: Drugs@FDA.
Deferoxamine Recall History
A recall is when a specific batch of a medicine is pulled from the market — usually a manufacturing issue, not a problem with the drug itself. Class I is most serious, Class III least.
The FDA’s enforcement reports list no Deferoxamine recalls since July 2021.
✅No Deferoxamine recalls on record since July 2021Source: FDA enforcement (recall) reports, via openFDA; our copy was last updated Oct 8, 2026.
RxNorm Concept Web — From Ingredient to Every Form and Strength
This page starts with one ingredient concept (IN). The branches below show its dose-form concepts (SCDF), then the available clinical drug and strength concepts (SCD). Combination products remain separate concepts with their own pages.
RxCUI 3131 1 dose form · 2 strengths
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Dose form (SCDF) Injection RxCUI 1731344In current FDA listings
Look up RxCUI 3131 in the RxCUI Atlas →
RxNorm is the U.S. National Library of Medicine’s normalized drug vocabulary. Its concept hierarchy can include forms that are not currently marketed; the status on each branch compares that concept with current FDA listings. RxCUIs identify vocabulary concepts, not individual packages or manufacturers.
Deferoxamine Supply and Shortage Status
Whether Deferoxamine is in short supply in the U.S. right now, plus any shortage history the FDA has on record. A shortage usually reflects a manufacturing or demand issue — not a safety problem with the drug.
Source: openFDA, from the FDA Drug Shortages database.
Deferoxamine Brand Names
Deferoxamine is sold under one brand name in the FDA directory — Desferal. A brand and its generic contain the same active ingredient; the brand name belongs to one company's product.
Who Makes Deferoxamine: Manufacturers and Labelers
6 companies list Deferoxamine products with the FDA. By number of product records, the largest are Apotex Corp., Fresenius Kabi USA, LLC, Gland Pharma Limited. Labelers include manufacturers and repackagers; the product in your bottle depends on which one your pharmacy stocks.
Deferoxamine Drug Class (RxNorm)
Deferoxamine belongs to the Iron Chelator class.
Classified by RxNorm RxClass — the U.S. National Library of Medicine's standardized drug-classification service (Established Pharmacologic Class from the FDA, the ATC drug family from the WHO, and mechanism of action). Reference only, not medical advice.
Sources for This Deferoxamine Page
Core label, product, RxNorm, safety, and utilization data on this page come from the sources identified below. AI-written, editorial, and licensed sections are labeled separately.
How this page is built
HelloPharmacist combines public FDA and NLM records and does not author the underlying clinical facts. The plain-language sections are written with AI from the FDA-approved label text and reviewed by our pharmacy team before publication. Fresenius Kabi USA, LLC is the representative DailyMed label linked for verification and dates. This is general education, not medical advice: always talk to your doctor or pharmacist about your own medicines. How we build and review drug pages →