1 The Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, and the Children's Hospital Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts
Experience with a new oral iron-carbohydrate complex (Jefron) in the treatment of iron-deficiency anemia shows that the therapeutic results are inferior to those obtainable with ferrous sulfate. Many children showed no response after months of treatment with this drug and when subsequently placed on ferrous sulfate therapy showed a rapid rise in hemoglobin to normal levels. Preliminary studies suggest that poor gastrointestinal absorption may be a factor in the inadequate therapeutic effects.