A study published in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology found a new drug called ferumoxytol is more effective against anemia than standard iron therapy in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Ferumoxytol is given intravenously while most iron therapies are given orally.
 
Compared with oral iron therapy, treatment with ferumoxytol produced greater increase in blood levels of hemoglobin and caused less side effects than oral iron therapy.

This article originally appeared in the July 2008 issue of Kidney Beginnings: The Electronic Newsletter.