Deferasirox Accord

Deferasirox Accord is a medicine used to treat chronic iron overload (an excess of iron in the body) in: - patients from 6 years of age who have beta thalassaemia major (an inherited blood disorder in which patients do not have enough normal haemoglobin \[protein that carries oxygen around the body\] in the blood) and who receive frequent blood transfusions; - children aged 2 to 5 years with beta thalassaemia major who receive frequent blood transfusions, when deferoxamine (another medicine used to treat iron overload) cannot be used or is inadequate; - patients from 2 years of age with beta thalassaemia major who receive infrequent blood transfusions, when deferoxamine cannot be used or is inadequate; - patients from 2 years of age who suffer from other types of anaemia (low levels of haemoglobin in the blood) and who receive blood transfusions, when deferoxamine cannot be used or is inadequate; - patients from 10 years of age with non-transfusion-dependent thalassaemia syndromes, when deferoxamine cannot be used or is inadequate. Non-transfusion-dependent thalassaemia syndromes are blood disorders similar to beta thalassaemia major but which do not require blood transfusions. In these patients, iron overload is caused by excess absorption of iron from the gut. Deferasirox Accord contains the active substance deferasirox and is a ‘generic medicine’. This means that Deferasirox Accord contains the same active substance and works in the same way as a ‘reference medicine’ already authorised in the EU called Exjade.