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Fe3 Medical: A Transdermal Patch Invented to Deliver Iron
Meta description: Fe3 Medical uses a transdermal patch to treat iron deficiency anemia, offering an alternative treatment option to oral iron supplements.
Iron deficiency anemia causes many problems, including fatigue, difficulty in thinking, and compromised motor function. In the United States, more than 14 million women suffer from this type of micronutrient deficiency, according to Fe3 Medical.
The typical treatment for iron deficiency is an oral supplement, but gastrointestinal side effects affect a significant portion of patients. Fe3 Medical has created a new type of therapy to treat iron deficiency anemia through a disposable transdermal patch.
Why Fe3 Medical Exists
Fe3 Medical’s disposable biphasic iontophoretic transdermal patch is a simple and easy-to-use treatment that patients wear overnight once every week. The patch provides iron through the skin so that the process does not involve the GI tract.
Transdermal patches are an increasingly popular delivery method for many types of treatments. To address many of the side effects that make oral iron supplements impossible to tolerate for some patients is a much-needed breakthrough in anemia treatments.
By giving patients an alternative to oral treatments, Fe3 Medical can significantly increase the quality of life for millions who suffer from anemia caused by iron deficiencies.
Who Fe3 Medical Is Meant For
The intended market for Fe3 Medical includes people suffering from iron deficiency anemia, especially those who have experienced adverse effects from oral iron supplements. Many conditions can impact the GI tract, making it challenging to tolerate related side effects treatments. For example, people with Chron’s syndrome may have their condition flare up if they try to take oral iron supplements.
Fe3 Medical can help these patients address their anemia without setting off related GI conditions, which opens up viable iron treatments for many more people. Since iron deficiency is a prevalent condition, addressing the needs of an expanded patient population is critical.
Benefits of Fe3 Medical
The Fe3 Medical patch offers many benefits:
Convenient treatment: Patients don’t need to remember to take pills multiple times per day, have a glass of water on hand, or eat anything before applying the transdermal patch. It’s a minimal preparation option, and since it’s so easy to use, it can help drive patient compliance.
No bad-tasting pills: Oral iron supplements may have an unpleasant taste for patients. Fe3 Medical is not ingested, so there are no tastes to worry about with this treatment.
Eliminates GI side effects: The transdermal patch completely takes the GI tract out of the equation, allowing patients to avoid nausea and other unpleasant side effects. This benefit is significant for patients who suffer from GI-related conditions or those that otherwise make ingesting and processing oral treatments difficult.
Once a week treatment: Patients no longer need to keep iron pills on hand every single day. Instead, they only need to use a transdermal patch once per week to get sufficient iron levels to correct their deficiency. Since they don’t need to remember a treatment every day, it’s less disruptive to their daily lives.
Overnight treatment: Another way that Fe3 Medical is less disruptive to patients’ lives is that it uses an overnight treatment regime. Patients don’t need to worry about hiding their patches when they’re out and about during the day, as they can take them off in the morning before they leave the house.
Applies to thigh: Fe3 Medical applies on the thigh, an easy location for most patients to access. People with mobility issues don’t need to raise their arms or twist to put the patch on. They need to reach down to do so.
Gentle on the skin: Fe3 Medical uses technology that limits skin reactions, so there’s no long-term irritation, scarring, discoloration, or other marks.
Provides a viable alternative to oral iron supplements: Patients who have struggled with getting enough iron due to a lack of tolerance for oral supplements will enjoy a treatment option that’s much easier on their GI systems.
Drawbacks of Fe3 Medical
Fe3 Medical does have a few drawbacks:
May not be as accessible as oral iron supplements: The company has not yet indicated whether the transdermal patches will be available over the counter or if they will require a prescription. If Fe3 Medical is prescription only, it can be more difficult for patients to access this iron supplement option. Insurance companies may take some time before they cover this treatment option, which might leave patients making out-of-pocket payments they may not be able to afford.
As of this writing: Fe3 Medical has not finished clinical trials, so this treatment does not currently have an estimated launch date. It could be some time before this iron patch is available for patients.
Fe3 Medical Pricing
As of this writing, Fe3 Medical is not commercially available and has no pricing information. The transdermal patch is going through clinical trials and has had several successful preclinical trials.
Alternatives to Fe3 Medical
The primary alternative to Fe3 Medical’s iron treatment is an oral iron supplement. While this treatment option is generally accessible to a large patient population, the associated GI side effects remove it from contention for a significant amount of people.
Another way that some people get more iron into their diet is through the Lucky Iron Fish device. As the name implies, this cooking tool is shaped like a fish and made of food-safe iron. People put it in boiling water, and it adds iron content to the food. However, this iron treatment also involves the GI tract, so those who have suffered from the adverse effects of oral supplements may also have issues with this method.
Fe3 Medical represents an important step forward for treating iron deficiency anemia, with an innovative transdermal patch that solves many of the issues that current iron treatments face.