JW Pharmaceutical's "Perinject" Proven to Reduce Transfusion Needs in Patients with Unruptured Intracranial Aneurysm

JW Pharmaceutical announced on December 10 that the results of a study confirming the preoperative administration efficacy of its high-dose iron injection 'Perinject' (active ingredient: ferric carboxymaltose) were recently published in the international journal 'Anesthesia, Critical Care, and Pain Medicine.'

Perinject is a high-dose iron injection that can replenish up to 1,000 mg of iron in as little as 15 minutes per day. It is used to treat iron deficiency or iron deficiency anemia in women or chronic bleeding patients at high risk, as well as for anemia caused by various surgeries and cancer treatments. In May last year, it became covered by health insurance, allowing a wide range of patients with iron deficiency-related conditions to benefit medically.

JW Pharmaceutical's high-dose iron injection 'Perinject'. JW Pharmaceutical

The research team led by Professor Lee Siwoon of the Department of Neurosurgery at Seoul National University Bundang Hospital conducted a study from January 2021 to September 2023 on 31 patients with iron deficiency anemia scheduled for unruptured intracranial aneurysm (UIA) clipping surgery. The study was terminated earlier than planned due to meeting the criteria for early superiority in interim analysis. As a result, 31 patients with iron deficiency anemia scheduled for UIA clipping surgery were included in the final analysis.

The research team compared 17 patients who received 1,000 mg of Perinject approximately four weeks before surgery with a control group of 14 patients who received only standard treatment, evaluating whether red blood cell transfusion (RBCT) was needed during or after surgery.

The results showed that in the control group, eight patients required red blood cell transfusion during or after surgery, whereas none of the patients in the Perinject group required transfusion. The difference in the need for red blood cell transfusion between the two groups was statistically significant.

Additionally, the median hemoglobin (Hb) level in the Perinject group increased by 1.4 g/dL one month after surgery, while the control group saw only a 0.7 g/dL increase. Notably, the median ferritin level in the Perinject group rose from 55.8 ng/mL to 591.0 ng/mL the day before surgery and remained high at 480.0 ng/mL one month after surgery. In contrast, the control group’s median ferritin increased from 77.0 ng/mL to 106.7 ng/mL immediately after surgery but dropped to 62.6 ng/mL one month later.

Professor Lee Siwoon’s research team concluded in the paper that administering Perinject preoperatively to patients with iron deficiency anemia scheduled for unruptured intracranial aneurysm clipping surgery significantly reduces the need for red blood cell transfusion and helps improve anemia status before and after surgery. They also noted that, from a patient blood management (PBM) perspective, it could be an effective strategy for correcting preoperative anemia.

Based on these study results, JW Pharmaceutical plans to raise awareness of the importance of preoperative anemia management across various surgical fields and to continue building clinical evidence for Perinject both domestically and internationally.

A JW Pharmaceutical representative stated, "Through this study, we confirmed that preoperative administration of Perinject can reduce transfusion burden and improve anemia-related indicators in patients undergoing unruptured intracranial aneurysm surgery," adding, "We plan to continue accumulating clinical evidence to support PBM strategy development in various surgical areas in the future."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.