Deferoxamine: uses, dosing, side effects & brands
Deferoxamine is a medicine sold in the U.S. under 2 brand and generic names, for bone diseases, corneal diseases and hemochromatosis. Below: what the FDA label says, every product that contains it, what the pills look like, and its recall record.
Key facts
- Treats (across its forms)
- Bone Diseases, Corneal Diseases and Hemochromatosis
- Available as
- Injectable · Powder
- Sold as
- 2 products — Deferoxamine Mesylate and Desferal
- Prescription?
- Prescription only
- Generic available?
- Yes
How deferoxamine is dosed
From the FDA label for Desferal (application NDA016267). Other deferoxamine products — different forms, different strengths — are dosed differently. Follow the label for the one you were prescribed.
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 Desferal 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…
Deferoxamine side effects
The following clinically significant adverse reactions are described elsewhere in the labeling: Hypersensitivity Reactions [see Warnings and Precautions (5.1)] Auditory and Ocular Toxicity [see Warnings and Precautions (5.2)] Renal Toxicity [see Warnings and Precautions (5.3)] Respiratory Toxicity [see Warnings and Precautions (5.4)] Growth Suppression [see Warnings and Precautions (5.5)] Serious Infections [see Warnings and Precautions (5.6)] Cardiac Dysfunction with Concomitant Use of Vitamin C [see Warnings and Precautions (5.7)] Risks of Desferal Treatment in Patients with Aluminum Overload [see Warnings and Precautions (5.8)] Effects on Ability to Drive and Use Machines [see Warnings and Precautions (5.9)] Most common adverse reactions are injection reactions (local and systemic), hypersensitivity reactions, infections with Yersinia and Mucormycosis, cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, hematologic, hepatic, musculoskeletal, urogenital, nervous, respiratory, ocular and hearing. ( 6 ) To report SUSPECTED ADVERSE REACTIONS, contact Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation at 1-888-669-6682 or FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088 or www.fda.gov/medwatch . 6.1 Clinical Trials Experience The following adverse reactions associated with the use of Desferal were identified in clinical studies or postmarketing reports. Because some of these reactions were reported voluntarily from a population of…
Who shouldn’t take deferoxamine
Desferal is contraindicated in patients with: A history of a hypersensitivity reaction to deferoxamine or any of its inactive ingredients [see Description (11)] . Reactions have included anaphylaxis [see Warnings and Precautions (5.1)] . Severe renal disease or anuria since the drug and the iron chelate are excreted primarily by the kidney [see Warnings and Precautions (5.3)] . Known hypersensitivity to the active substance. ( 4 ) Patients with severe renal disease or anuria. ( 4 )
Deferoxamine 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 Desferal bound gallium-67. Discontinue Desferal 48 hours prior to scintigraphy. ( 7.2 ) 7.1 Prochlorperazine Concurrent treatment with Desferal 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 Desferal-bound gallium-67. Discontinue Desferal 48 hours prior to scintigraphy.
Every deferoxamine product we track (2)
Same active ingredient — different manufacturer, form, price and FDA recall record. That last one is what our independent score measures.
| # | Drug | Rating | Type | Form | Generic? | Pharmacy pays | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Not yet rated | Prescription | Injectable | No data | — | View → | |
| 2 | Not yet rated | Prescription | Injectable | No data | — | View → |
How long deferoxamine keeps
No deferoxamine label we read sets a separate limit for after opening, but they do specify how it must be stored — and the stability behind any date assumes those conditions.
Does deferoxamine expire? The in-use limits and storage rules from its labelsDeferoxamine and breastfeeding
From LactMed, the US National Library of Medicine’s Drugs and Lactation Database — quoted, not rewritten.
Full LactMed record for deferoxamine: levels in milk, effects in breastfed infants, and the drugs it would consider insteadDeferoxamine is poorly absorbed orally, so it is not likely to reach the bloodstream of the infant or cause any adverse effects in breastfed infants. Limited information indicates that maternal doses of deferoxamine up to 2 grams daily do not affect iron levels in breastmilk and did not cause any adverse effects in two breastfed infants. Some experts advocate breastfeeding in women receiving deferoxamine for iron overload caused by beta-thalassemia. However, since little published information is available on the use of deferoxamine during breastfeeding, monitoring of the infant's serum iron is recommended.
National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, record revised July 19, 2021. LactMed states its information is not a substitute for professional judgement.
What people report to the FDA about deferoxamine
The FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) collects reports from patients and clinicians. It holds 271 reports naming deferoxamine, and the FDA flagged 92% of those reports as serious. The effects reported most often — leaving out reports about overdose, misuse or the condition being treated, which dominate the raw list for common medicines:
- drug exposure during pregnancy18 reports
- fundoscopy abnormal16 reports
- bacterial sepsis14 reports
- mucormycosis14 reports
- laryngitis fungal12 reports
- pyrexia12 reports
- serum ferritin increased12 reports
- caesarean section11 reports
Read these as a signal, not a rate. A report does not mean deferoxamine caused the effect — anyone can file one, and many describe people taking several medicines for several conditions. Crucially there is no denominator: FAERS does not record how many people took the drug, so these counts cannot be turned into “X% of patients” — a bigger number often just means a more widely used or more talked-about drug. Duplicates exist, and publicity drives reporting. For what is actually established, read the FDA label section above.
Source: openFDA drug/event (FAERS), retrieved August 25, 2026.
Related calculators
Frequently asked questions
What is deferoxamine?
Desferal, deferoxamine mesylate, is an iron-chelating agent, available in vials for injection via intramuscular, subcutaneous, and intravenous administration.
Can you take deferoxamine with other medicines?
It depends on the medicine. We check it against the FDA labels rather than guessing: our interaction checker searches each drug's own label for the other and quotes what it says, naming the section it came from. Run deferoxamine against whatever else you take — and remember that a label not naming a drug is not the same as that combination being safe.
What brand names is deferoxamine sold under?
We track 2 deferoxamine-containing products in the U.S.: Deferoxamine Mesylate and Desferal. They are the same active ingredient; they differ in form, manufacturer, price and FDA recall record.
What forms does deferoxamine come in?
Across the brands we track, deferoxamine is currently marketed as injectable and powder, per the FDA's National Drug Code Directory. Each form is dosed differently — follow the label for the exact product you were prescribed.
Is there a generic deferoxamine?
Yes. Our catalog lists 1 generic deferoxamine product alongside the brand versions. A generic has the same active ingredient and must meet the FDA's bioequivalence standard; it usually costs less. Ask your pharmacist which one your plan covers.
Cite this page
- APA
- pharmaranks. (2026, July 24). Deferoxamine: uses, dosing, side effects & brands. https://pharmaranks.com/drugs/deferoxamine
- MLA
- “Deferoxamine: uses, dosing, side effects & brands.” pharmaranks, 24 July 2026, https://pharmaranks.com/drugs/deferoxamine.
We summarise public FDA and NIH sources — for a clinical claim, cite the primary source we link to as well.
Sources: FDA openFDA drug label, National Drug Code Directory, and Enforcement (recall) database. This page reproduces public FDA data and is not medical advice. Dosing is set by your prescriber.
Read the full FDA label for deferoxamine on DailyMed (NIH) ↗.