Two new options for patients with iron deficiency

Iron (Fe) is an essential mineral that plays several crucial roles in the human body. Iron links to several proteins necessary for proper functioning; Iron is vital for oxygen transport and energy production. Without iron, the brain, muscles and immune system cannot function properly. Also, adequate iron levels are essential for growth and development, especially in infants, children, and pregnant women.

Iron level is tightly regulated in a healthy person because excessive iron leads to several serious health issues due to organ damage. The regulation involves several mechanisms: absorption from nutrients and recycling. Unlike other minerals, the body has no active mechanism for excreting excess iron, making the regulation of absorption crucial.

Iron deficiency can occur for several reasons, and understanding these causes can help manage and prevent it.

Blood loss: menstruation, gastrointestinal bleeding, surgery or injury

Inadequate iron intake: diets

Increased iron needs: infant, children, and pregnancy

Poor iron absorption due to medical conditions, medications, and diets.

Iron supplements can be needed when patients have symptoms of iron deficiency, such as low energy, fatigue, lack of concentration, and breathlessness during exercise.

In August 2024, Health Canada approved ACCRUFER (ferric maltol), an oral treatment for iron deficiency anemia. The FDA approved this product in 2019. KYE Pharmaceutical licensed Accrufer for the Canadian market from Shield Therapeutics. The AEGIS-H2H study has shown that Accrufer was non-inferior to intravenous iron therapy. With Accrufer, it is possible to improve iron-deficiency anemia without requiring hospital administration. It is also a non-salt formulation of ferric iron, providing an alternative to salt-based oral iron therapies. It also carries fewer gastrointestinal side effects typically observed with salt-based therapies.

Health Canada approved FERINJECT (ferric carboxymaltose) in March 2024, which was distributed by CSL Behring. It is an intravenous iron supplement used to treat iron deficiency anemia (IDA) in one-year and older patients when oral iron preparations are neither tolerated nor effective. FERINJECT can also treat iron deficiency (ID) in adult patients with heart failure to improve exercise capacity.

Are you ready for ASH 2024?

Just over 30,000 hematologists and hematology-oriented investigators are expected to attend the 66th American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting & Exposition in San Diego. Last year, 113 countries were presented by the ~32,000 individuals who attended the conference. Mark your calendars now to attend the world’s most comprehensive hematology event of the year

The ASH annual meeting is the world's largest and most comprehensive hematology event of the year. With hundreds of sessions on the hottest trends in hematology, ASH offers multiple ways for attendees to find exactly what they are looking for.

In April 1958, the first official meeting of the American Society of Hematology (ASH) was held in Atlantic City, New Jersey, where more than 300 hematologists gathered to discuss clinical and research matters related to blood and blood diseases. Since that initial meeting, ASH has played an active and important role in the development of hematology as a discipline. For more than six decades, ASH has sponsored its annual meeting, the premier education and scientific event in the field of hematology, and has published the journal "Blood", the most cited peer-reviewed publication in the field.

ASH is committed to building and nurturing a global hematology community and workforce inclusive of diverse perspectives, talents, and experiences as it works toward one collective goal: helping hematologists conquer blood diseases worldwide. With more than 18,000 members from nearly 100 countries, ASH is the world’s largest professional society, serving both clinicians and scientists who are working to conquer blood diseases.

C l i n i c a l T r i a l s a n d S u r v e y s

A l l i a n c e s a n d

C o l l a b b o r a t i o n s

Join Us

KYB invites individuals, healthcare professionals, community leaders, and organizations to join this mission. Together, we can work towards reducing health disparities and improving outcomes for individuals with blood disorders in the African/Caribbean community. Whether through donating blood, volunteering, or simply spreading the word, every contribution helps create a healthier future.

For more information on how you can get involved, send an email to: knowyourblood2024@gmail.com follow us on social media: Instagram: @Knowyourblood; TikTok: know.your.blood

Together, we can make a difference

Improving the Lives of MPN Patients

The Global MPN Scientific Foundation (GMPNSF) is a charitable non-profit organization dedicated to advancing the research and management of MPNs. Our ultimate goal is to raise awareness, facilitate collaboration, and improve the lives of people affected by MPNs.

Our Mission

AtGlobalMPNScientificFoundation,weunderstandthechallengesandgaps inthecurrentmanagementofMPN,suchas:

Lack of awareness and education among patients, physicians, and scientists

Limited access to specialized testing and care

Variability in diagnostic criteria and treatment guidelines

Insufficient data on the natural history and outcomes of MPN

Limited availability of effective therapies and clinical trials

That's why we are committed to providing a source of professionally backed information, building and facilitating an MPN community, and advocating for patients affected by this rare group of blood cancers. Global MPN Scientific Foundation is run by volunteers comprising MPN patients and healthcare professionalswhosharethisvision

On our platform, you will find a wide range of unbiased and medically backed information, including leaflets, newsletters, and forums where you can meet and hear about the latest MPN research. You will also learn about our investment in research and support for clinical trials Moreover, you will discover how we are developing links with MPN groups worldwide to become morevisibleinadvocatingforMPNpatients.

We invite you to join us in our mission to improve the lives of people living with MPN. Whether you are a patient, a physician, or a pharma representative, you will find valuable resources and opportunities to connect with others who shareyourinterestinMPN.

Together, we can make a difference! www.gmpnsf.org.

Created in 2017, the Acute Leukemia Advocates Network (ALAN) is an independent global network of patient organizations dedicated to changing the outcomes of patients with acute leukemia by strengthening patient advocacy in that area Our role at ALAN is to support our members in supporting patients and their families, raise awareness of leukemia, and conduct work that is best done internationally, like generating data and evidence. All our activities are patient-led, collaborative, and evidence-based.

Who are we?

In March 2024, the network counts 56 member organizations from 52 countries and is governed by a steering committee. All steering committee members are leaders of national patient organizations focusing on leukemia and blood cancers from different regions to ensure global representation.

How do we work?

At ALAN, we are convinced that:

A strong collaboration between contributors of a multi-stakeholder project will likely generate benefits for all parties involved.

Patients' and patient advocates' perspectives are unique. Therefore, they should be considered specialist knowledge complementary to other experts, academia, and industry.

So, we collaborate on various projects with the pharmaceutical industry, other patient organizations, medical societies, researchers, clinicians, and other experts.

What do we do?

1- Capacity Building: 2 Raising awareness