Effect of Oral sucRosomIal Iron on exerciSE Capacity and Quality of Life in Patients With Heart Failure

NCT ID: NCT06270498

Last Updated: 2025-10-01

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: RECRUITING
• Clinical Phase: PHASE4
• Total Enrollment: 60 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2024-03-14
• Study Completion Date: 2026-06-14

Brief Summary

The goal of this study is to investigate the effect of oral sucrosomial iron on exercise capacity and quality of life in patients with heart failure (HF) and iron deficiency (ID).

The main question the study aims to answer is whether oral sucrosomial iron improved exercise capacity, assessed by six-minute walk test, and quality of life, assessed by Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire, compared with placebo.

One group of participants will receive treatment with oral sucrosomial iron and the other group will receive treatment with placebo.

Detailed Description

Based on clinical trials, treatment with intravenous iron improves symptoms, exercise capacity, and may reduce HF hospitalizations in patients with HF and ID. On the contrary, treatment of ID with oral iron has no effect on exercise capacity. High hepcidin levels prevent oral intestinal absorption and blunt the response to oral iron administration. Sucrosomial iron (SI) consists of a nucleus of ferric pyrophosphate with an envelope of sucrose ester of fatty acids, which promotes intestinal absorption through paracellular and lymphatic routes, independent of hepcidin. In contrast with intravenous iron infusion, administration of oral iron may not promote oxidative stress, since the intestinal iron absorption prevent the formation of labile, non-transferrin bound, plasma iron.

The study will investigate the effect of oral SI supplementation on exercise capacity, assessed by six-minute walk test, and quality of life, assessed by Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire, compared with placebo in patients with HF, a left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) <50%. Iron deficiency was defined as transferrin saturation (TSAT) <20%.

Conditions

Chronic Heart Failure; Iron-deficiency; Left Ventricular Systolic Dysfunction

Study Design

• Allocation Method: RANDOMIZED
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Primary Study Purpose: TREATMENT
• Blinding Strategy: QUADRUPLE

Study Groups

Sucrosomial iron

Group Type: ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

Sucrosomial iron

Intervention Type: DIETARY_SUPPLEMENT

Sucrosomial iron with the addition at a fixed dose of vitamin C to promote iron absorption (SiderAL® Forte) will be administered orally once a day for 24 weeks.

The dose regimen for all participants will be calculated according to the haemoglobin (Hb) levels at baseline evaluation and to patient's body weight as follows:

Hb 14-16 g/dL: 1 tablet once a day, corresponding to 30 mg/daily, for 24 weeks; Hb 10-13.9 g/dL: 2 tablets once a day, corresponding to 60 mg/daily, for 24 weeks

Placebo

Group Type: PLACEBO_COMPARATOR

Placebo

Intervention Type: OTHER

Placebo pills will be identical in shape, form and color of SI tablets; they will contain the same components of SiderAL Forte® except for sucrosomial iron and vitamin C.

Placebo will be administered orally once a day for 3 months according to the same dose scheme in the intervention arm.

Interventions

Sucrosomial iron

Sucrosomial iron with the addition at a fixed dose of vitamin C to promote iron absorption (SiderAL® Forte) will be administered orally once a day for 24 weeks.

The dose regimen for all participants will be calculated according to the haemoglobin (Hb) levels at baseline evaluation and to patient's body weight as follows:

Hb 14-16 g/dL: 1 tablet once a day, corresponding to 30 mg/daily, for 24 weeks; Hb 10-13.9 g/dL: 2 tablets once a day, corresponding to 60 mg/daily, for 24 weeks

Intervention Type: DIETARY_SUPPLEMENT

Placebo

Placebo pills will be identical in shape, form and color of SI tablets; they will contain the same components of SiderAL Forte® except for sucrosomial iron and vitamin C.

Placebo will be administered orally once a day for 3 months according to the same dose scheme in the intervention arm.

Intervention Type: OTHER

Other Intervention Names

SiderAL Forte

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

1. Chronic HF (New York Heart Association [NYHA] functional class II-IV) patients, on optimal therapy, and clinically stable for at least 4 weeks with no dose changes of HF drugs

2. LVEF<50% at screening visit (historical value can be used if performed within 6 months of screening visit)

3. Either a documented hospitalization for HF in the previous 12 months of enrolment or an elevated NT-proBNP: ≥250 pg/mL (or BNP ≥75 pg/mL) for patients in normal sinus rhythm; ≥1,000 pg/mL (or BNP ≥400 pg/mL) for patients in atrial fibrillation

4. TSAT <20%

5. Hemoglobin 10.0-16.0 g/dL

6. Rapid iron repletion with intravenous iron is not considered a clinical necessity by physicians after reviewing patient medical record (if anaemia is present, its grade is no more than mild)

7. Age ≥18 years, male and female

8. Willingness to provide informed consent

9. Subjects who decide to use single or dual contraceptive methods to avoid conceiving during the study period

Exclusion Criteria

1. Neuromuscular, orthopedic or other non-cardiac condition that prevents the patient from exercise testing

2. Exercise training program in the previous 3 months, or planned in the next 3 months

3. Recent (<3 month) acute coronary syndrome, coronary artery bypass surgery, percutaneous coronary interventions, transient ischemic attack, or stroke

4. Severe valvular disease, hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy, restrictive or constrictive cardiomyopathy, acute myocarditis

5. Atrial fibrillation or flutter with a ventricular response rate of &gt;100 beats per minute at rest

6. Temperature ≤38 °C (oral or equivalent) or active infection as defined by current use of oral or intravenous antimicrobial agents

7. Need for blood transfusion within the last month

8. Hb<10 g/dL or Hb>16 g/dL

9. Rapid iron repletion with intravenous iron is considered a clinical necessity by physicians after reviewing patient medical record

10. Documented active gastrointestinal bleeding

11. Oral iron, i.v. iron or erythropoietin stimulating agent within the last 3 months

12. eGFR ≤15 mL/min or on hemodialysis

13. Chronic liver disease and/or alanine transaminase or aspartate transaminase above 3 times the upper limit of the normal range

14. Active cancer

15. Evidence of iron overload (ferritin >400 ng/mL)

16. Hypersensitivity to any of the study products or known severe allergies

17. Participation in another study

18. Low body weight (≤35 kg)

19. Known or anticipated pregnancy in the next 4 months

20. Need for forbidden medications

21. Breastfeeding

22. Consumption of iron-rich foods or any food that alter iron absorption (i.e. food rich in vitamin C) due to dietary requirements

23. Any pathological condition or disease associated with a reduction or an impairment of intestinal iron absorption (i.e., prior gastrectomy, atrophic gastritis, bariatric surgery, coeliac disease)

• Minimum Eligible Age: 18 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Sponsors

University of Pisa

OTHER

Sponsor Role: collaborator

Raffaele De Caterina

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Raffaele De Caterina

Chair of Cardiology Division

Responsibility Role: SPONSOR_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

Gabriele Masini, MD PhD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

University of Pisa

Raffaele De Caterina, MD PhD

Role: STUDY_DIRECTOR

University of Pisa

Locations

Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria Pisana

Pisa, Tuscany, Italy

Site Status: RECRUITING

Countries

Italy

Central Contacts

Gabriele Masini, MD PhD

Role: CONTACT

gabriele.masini@unipi.it

0039 050996712

Facility Contacts

Gabriele Masini, MD, PhD

Role: primary

SImona Chiusulo, MD, PhD

Role: backup

Other Identifiers

24811

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id