Prescription medicine
Deferoxamine Brand names: Desferal
Deferoxamine (Desferal) is a prescription medicine with an FDA approval on record since 1968. FDA's NDC Directory lists it from 4 generic labelers.
- Generic listed
Check it at the source: the deferoxamine FDA label on DailyMed (effective June 17, 2025, Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation); the NDA 16267 record on Drugs@FDA; every deferoxamine label on DailyMed.
Highlights of the record
FDA label of June 17, 2025; NDC Directory, Drugs@FDA and Orange Book, October 8, 2026
Used for
From the label: indications and usageDESFERAL is an iron-chelating agent indicated: As an adjunct to standard measures for the treatment of acute iron intoxication.
Forms and strengths
- 2 g
- 500 mg
- 95 mg/ml
- 500 mg/5ml
Injection (powder) (lyophilized) for solution; injection (powder) for solution.
On the market
- Earliest approval on file
- April 1, 1968 Desferal, Mitem Pharma; Drugs@FDA’s file, where older or withdrawn approvals can be missing
- Generic approvals
- 5 first March 17, 2004; 3 with a marketed status in Drugs@FDA
- Labelers listed (NDC)
- 6 of which 4 under generic applications, 2 under brand applications, repackagers included
Supply and safety
- Pharmacy cost (NADAC)
- Not in the survey
- Shortage (FDA)
- No current entry
- Recalls by its makers (FDA)
- 1 since 2016 0 Class I among all firms' recalls; latest July 12, 2017; 1 more by firms not listed as its makers
- FAERS reports
- 2,124 through July 30, 2026
What is deferoxamine used for?
From the label: indications and usageDESFERAL is an iron-chelating agent indicated: As an adjunct to standard measures for the treatment of acute iron intoxication. ( 1.1 ) For the treatment of transfusional iron overload in patients with chronic anemia. […]
FDA pharmacologic class: Iron Chelator.
Source: FDA drug label (Desferal), Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation, effective June 17, 2025 (SPL set a7174843-5965-49fc-b842-f7eff7b48bbc), via openFDA; the full label on DailyMed
Is there a generic for deferoxamine (Desferal)?
The FDA approved the first generic deferoxamine on March 17, 2004. 5 generic applications are approved; 3 of them carry a current (not discontinued) marketing status in Drugs@FDA; that status is not evidence that the generic is on sale.
FDA's NDC Directory lists deferoxamine from 4 labelers under a generic (ANDA) application and from 2 brand labelers. A listing means the company has registered the product for sale; it does not show that every pharmacy stocks it.
- 1968 earliest approval on file
- 2004 first generic approved
- red ticks recalls
Source: Drugs@FDA, FDA NDC Directory and the Orange Book (openFDA bulk files, October 8, 2026)
Has deferoxamine been recalled?
The FDA's Enforcement Report lists 2 recalls naming deferoxamine since 2016: 0 Class I (the most serious), 1 Class II, 1 Class III; 0 still ongoing. 1 of them is by a firm that FDA's NDC Directory does not list as a maker of deferoxamine and that holds no application for it in Drugs@FDA, such as compounding pharmacies or bulk-ingredient suppliers; the recall notice names the product recalled. A recall names products and lots, not every product of the medicine.
| Started | Class | Company | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|
| July 12, 2017 | Class III | Pfizer Inc. | CGMP Deviations: Firm failed to control impurity for color change at the API stage. |
| April 18, 2016 | Class II | Baptist Health Medical Towers Pharmacy and Infusion Services not a listed maker | Lack of Sterility Assurance |
Source: FDA Enforcement Report (drug recalls) via openFDA, through October 8, 2026
What does the deferoxamine label say about other medicines?
The deferoxamine label names 1 other medicine in its interaction, contraindication or warning sections. The sentences are the labels' own; a label lists what its studies and reports found, not every interaction.
| Medicine named | Section | What the label says |
|---|---|---|
| Prochlorperazine | drug interactions | DRUG INTERACTIONS Concurrent treatment with prochlorperazine may lead to temporary impairment of consciousness. ( 7.1 ) Imaging results may be distorted due to rapid urinary excretion of Desferal bound gallium-67. |
Source: FDA drug label (Desferal), Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation, effective June 17, 2025 (SPL set a7174843-5965-49fc-b842-f7eff7b48bbc), via openFDA; the full label on DailyMed
What do FAERS reports show for deferoxamine?
The FDA Adverse Event Reporting System holds 2,124 reports that list deferoxamine among the medicines taken, through July 30, 2026, each a report of something that happened, not proof the medicine caused it; 412 are coded as a death and 811 as a hospital stay. Counts follow how widely a medicine is used and watched, and they are not a measure of how risky it is.
Reports received each year
The most reported reactions
Source: FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) via openFDA, reports through July 30, 2026
What next?
- Other iron chelators
- the pharmacologic class, with prices and generics
- Deferoxamine side effects
- the label's list beside FAERS reports
- Check an interaction
- what two or more labels say about each other