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Prevention of Iron Deficiency Anemia Post-delivery

Phase 3
Recruiting
Conditions
Postpartum Anemia
Interventions
Drug: IV iron infusion
Registration Number
NCT05590260
Lead Sponsor
NICHD Global Network for Women's and Children's Health
Brief Summary

PRIORITY is designed as a 2-arm, randomized-controlled trial focused on postpartum women. The trial will recruit women who are diagnosed with moderate anemia based on a blood sample taken 6-48 hours after childbirth. A total of 4,800 eligible women, or 600 women per research site, will be consented and enrolled in the trial. The study hypothesizes that at 6 weeks post-delivery, prevalence of the non-anemic state in women in that received a single-dose IV iron infusion between 6 and 48 hours after delivery and prior to discharge from the facility will be greater than that of women given a supply of oral iron tablets taken twice daily for 6 weeks.

Detailed Description

PRIORITY is a 2-arm, randomized-controlled trial (RCT) that will be implemented at 8 sites in 7 countries: Bangladesh, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Guatemala, India (Nagpur and Belagavi), Kenya, Pakistan, and Zambia. The research team for each site will enroll approximately 600 women who deliver at a hospital or other facility such as a health center with delivery services. Participants will be randomized to receive a single-dose IV iron infusion between 6 and 48 hours after delivery prior to discharge from the facility or oral iron tablets taken twice daily for 6 weeks. They will then be assessed by research staff at an appropriate health facility at 6 weeks and 6 months post-delivery by providing a maternal blood sample that will be analyzed to determine Hb concentration. At each study visit, trained staff will also measure serum ferritin, serum transferrin receptor, C-reactive protein (CRP) and alpha 1 acid glycoprotein (AGP). Additionally, in the African research sites, a rapid diagnostic test (RDT) for malaria will be administered upon admission to the birthing facility, and at 6 weeks and 6 months postpartum. The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS), The World Health Organization Quality-of-Life (QOL) scale, The Maternal Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS-5R), and The Mother-to-infant Bonding Scale (MIBS) will also be used at the 6 weeks and 6 months postpartum follow up appointments to collect data for secondary study aims.The study hypothesizes that at 6 weeks post-delivery, the prevalence of the non-anemic state in women in that received a single-dose IV iron infusion between 6 and 48 hours after delivery and prior to discharge from the facility will be greater than that of women given a supply of oral iron tablets taken twice daily for 6 weeks. Secondary study aims will look at the effects of postpartum depression on maternal quality of life, fatigue, and breastfeeding initiation and retention rates. Depression is also a risk factor for reducing infant-mother bonding.

The PRIORITY RCT will include an implementation research (IR) sub-study to complement the findings of the RCT trial and provide evidence about facilitators, barriers, and costs of implementation to inform global guidelines on the use of IV iron in postpartum women in Low-Middle Income Countries (LMIC). This Implementation Research (IR) sub-study will build upon the PRIORITY trial as well as other research projects to assess IV iron that are being conducted by the Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College research team in Belagavi, India, Thomas Jefferson University (TJU) and by the Aga Khan University team in Pakistan. The IR will utilize a mixed methods approach, employing both quantitative and qualitative data collection to better understand the potential barriers and facilitators to IV iron use in India and Pakistan. The implementation research will be harmonized with the timeline of the main PRIORITY trial, enabling the investigators to collect the IR data in parallel with the trial. The mixed methods IR study for the PRIORITY trial in India and Pakistan will be guided by the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) and by Proctor's implementation outcomes framework. CFIR and Proctor's framework are complementary and provide a structure for guiding the types of questions and target groups for the implementation research data collection during the trial.

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status
RECRUITING
Sex
Female
Target Recruitment
4800
Inclusion Criteria
  • Established pregnancy >20 weeks gestation by LMP and/or clinical assessment and/ Or USG
  • Age: 15 years (or lower limit age eligible*) to 49 years
  • Confirmed moderate anemia (Hb 7.0 to 9.9 g/dL, 6-48 hour after delivery based on a venous blood sample on Hemocue®)
  • Deliver in participating study hospital or health facility
  • Able to provide informed consent
  • Plans to remain in study area for duration of the study
Exclusion Criteria
  • IV Iron infusion received in past 3 weeks
  • Contraindication to iron supplementation (some examples may include hemolytic anemia, allergy, severe infection)
  • Blood transfusion already received or scheduled during the current hospital admission
  • Known diagnosis of pre-existing depression or other psychiatric illness
  • Stillbirth, major congenital anomaly, or neonatal loss prior to randomization
  • Women testing positive and previously untreated for malaria
  • Presenting with symptomatic anemia with dyspnea or fatigue and need for immediate correction
  • Women with known hemoglobinopathy (sickle cell disease or thalassemia)
  • Presence of severe allergic conditions such as severe asthma or known drug allergies
  • Women presenting with any illness/condition requiring immediate medical care per physician's assessment

Study & Design

Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Study Design
SINGLE_GROUP
Arm && Interventions
GroupInterventionDescription
Oral iron comparator armOral iron tabletsOral iron tablets (containing 60 mg of elemental iron (± folate as per local guidelines)) to be taken at a treatment dose of twice daily for 6 weeks.
IV iron armIV iron infusionWhich will result in receipt of a single-dose IV iron infusion between 6 and 48 hours after delivery and prior to discharge from the facility; folate tablets per local guidelines.
Primary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Number of women with non-anemic hemaglobin levels (Hb >11 g/dL)6 weeks post-delivery

Hemoglobin measure

Secondary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Number of women who receive a blood transfusion post-dischargethrough 6 months post-delivery

Blood transfusion given to mother enrolled in study after randomization

Number of women who experience a postpartum hemorrhage requiring transfusion or major surgeryfrom intervention through 6 weeks post-delivery

Postpartum hemorrhaging defined as those requiring transfusion of surgery

Differences between treatment groups in infant-mother bonding scale scores6 weeks

Will utilize mother-infant (MIBS) tool

Maternal - Change resulting in severe/moderate/mild anemia by treatment arm6 months

Evaluate individual changes in maternal anemia levels from randomization to 6 months

Number of neonatal infant deathsbirth to 6 months

Neonatal or infant death from any cause post-randomization

Number of women with hospitalizationthrough 6 months post-delivery

Hospital admission for any reason after randomization until 6 months postpartum

Number of women screening positive for postpartum depression6 weeks and 6 months

Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) will be used as post-partum depression screening tool

Prevalence of severe/moderate/mild anemia among women6 weeks and 6 months

Use Hemocue hemoglobin measure to categorize anemia

Maternal - Differences in ferritin and inflammatory markers by treatment group6 weeks, 6 months

Using centralized testing, evaluate differences by treatment group

Number of women with documentation of postpartum complicationsRandomization through 6 weeks post delivery

Maternal postpartum clinical complications

Number of women with severe fatigue6 weeks and 6 months

Fatigue severity score (utilizing 9 question survey with a scale from 1-7 for each item; the lower the total score is the better the outcome)

Maternal - Hemoglobin concentration by mode of delivery6 months

Evaluate hemoglobin stratified by Cesarean delivery vs. Vaginal delivery

Number of infants with hospitalizationbirth to 6 months

Neonatal or infant hospitalization for any reason

Number of women exclusive breastfeeding rate and intend to continue breastfeeding through 12 months post-delivery6 weeks and 6 months

Self report of breastfeeding

Number of maternal deathsFrom delivery to 6 months post-delivery

Maternal death from any cause

Differences in quality of life assessment scores6 weeks and 6 months

Will utilize WHO Quality of Life (QOL) - BREF tool. The minimum is 0 (bad QOL) and maximum is 100 (good QOL).

Trial Locations

Locations (8)

INCAP

🇬🇹

Guatemala City, Guatemala

KLE Society's Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College

🇮🇳

Belgaum, Karnataka, India

ICDDRB

🇧🇩

Dhaka, Bangladesh

Kinshasa School of Public Health

🇨🇩

Kinshasa, Congo, The Democratic Republic of the

University Teaching Hospital

🇿🇲

Lusaka, Zambia

Lata Medical Research Foundation

🇮🇳

Nagpur, India

Moi University School of Medicine

🇰🇪

Eldoret, Kenya

The Aga Khan University

🇵🇰

Karachi, Pakistan

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