NEW YORK, Dec. 10 /U.S. Newswire/ -- The Cooley's Anemia Foundation presented
a symposium entitled "Iron Overload and Cardiac Disease: New Interventions" on
December 4, to coincide with the annual meeting of the American Society of
Hematology in San Diego, California.

A panel of leading experts presented new insights on iron overload and heart
disease, as well as methods to assess and treat iron overload in thalassemia
major patients with cardiac disease.

Cardiac disease associated with iron overload is the leading cause of death in
thalassemia, a genetic blood disorder that is also called Cooley's anemia.
Iron overload in thalassemia is a result both of the disorder itself and of
the lifelong blood transfusions that form the core of the disorder's
treatment.

A report summarizing key findings from this symposium follows:
IRON OVERLOAD AND CARDIAC DISEASE: NEW INTERVENTIONS
A report summarizing key findings

A dramatic decline in iron-induced heart disease and death in thalassemia
patients has been found in the United Kingdom, and in some centers in Italy,
over the last 5 years. The introduction of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) of
the heart and the availability of a new oral iron chelator for removing iron
from thalassemia patients with severe iron overload may be among the key
components responsible for this improved survival. These findings were
reported during the American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting in San
Diego, CA last week, and highlighted during a symposium hosted by the Cooley's
Anemia Foundation.

Dr. Renzo Galanello, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy, and chair of the
symposium noted that up until 1999, only one iron chelator was available in
Europe. With the regulatory approval of Ferriprox (deferiprone, manufactured
by Apotex) in August 1999, hematologists in Europe were able to prescribe this
new oral iron chelator to patients having difficulty taking Desferal
(desferrioxamine mesylate, manufactured by Novartis), an iron chelator that
must be given by subcutaneous infusion because it is not absorbed if given by
mouth.

Dr. Elliott Vichinsky, the director of the hemoglobinopathy program at
Children's Hospital Oakland (CHO), opened the symposium by addressing the
changing demographics of thalassemia in the US, noting that iron-induced
cardiac disease remains a critical concern in patients with thalassemia.

more at:
http://www.thalassemia.org/bodies/body189.php?cooleys_sess=acea949a1e23ab2
a4ea437896e4d7fd4

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Tom