JAMA

ACC 2025: IV iron improves quality of life in heart failure patients

April 1, 2025

While ferric carboxymaltose didn’t significantly impact primary cardiovascular outcomes, its ability to improve quality of life suggests it could be a valuable adjunctive therapy for managing symptoms in heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) patients with iron deficiency. These findings, presented at American College of Cardiology (ACC).25, support the continued use of IV iron supplementation in this patient population.

Study details: The FAIR-HF2 trial, conducted from March 2017 to November 2023 across 70 centers in six European countries, evaluated the safety and efficacy of IV ferric carboxymaltose in patients with HFrEF and iron deficiency. The study included 1,105 patients, who were randomized to receive either ferric carboxymaltose (n=558) or saline placebo (n=547).

Results: Carboxymaltose didn’t significantly reduce the time to first heart failure hospitalization or cardiovascular death compared with placebo. However, patients receiving ferric carboxymaltose reported improved quality of life. The rate of serious adverse events was similar between the treatment and placebo groups.

Sources:

Anker, S. et al. (2025, March 30). JAMA. Intravenous Ferric Carboxymaltose in Heart Failure With Iron Deficiency: The FAIR-HF2 DZHK05 Randomized Clinical Trial. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2832132

(2025, March 30). American College of Cardiology. FAIR-HF2: Ferric Carboxymaltose Safe With Some Benefits for Heart Failure. https://www.acc.org/Latest-in-Cardiology/Journal-Scans/2025/03/24/16/30/sun-8am-fair-hf2-acc-2025