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IV iron infusion therapy in patients with persistent pain

The efficacy of IntraVenous Iron Therapy in persistent pAin patients with iron deficiency: a randomised controLled trial: The VITAL Trial.

Status
Recruiting
Phases
Phase 2
Study type
Interventional
Source
ANZCTR
Registry ID
ACTRN12622000412730
Acronym
VITAL
Enrollment
23
Registered
2022-03-10
Start date
2023-08-25
Completion date
Unknown
Last updated
2025-10-20

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

None listed

Brief summary

Patients with persistent or chronic pain often have underlying chronic conditions that can be overlooked such as anaemia, which can have significant effect on the quality of life of patients. A recent pilot study involving patients who have persistent pain for greater than 12 months have shown that 59% have iron deficiency. This study will follow on from the pilot study to examine if intravenous iron infusions do improve this cohort of patients fatigue levels, their health-related quality of life, pain levels and reduce pain medication use. This study will be conducted at a Quaternary hospital in Brisbane as a single-site, single-blinded, parallel-group randomised controlled trial. We plan to recruit 160 participants who will be randomised to receive either intravenous iron infusion or placebo. The outcomes will be measured using specific validated surveys and questionnaires related to fatigue (FACIT), health-related quality of life (SF-36) and pain (ePPOC).

Interventions

Patients will be booked into the surgical day care unit (SDCU) at the RBWH or the Tess Cramond Pain and Research Centre at their earliest convenience for the interventional phase of the study. The study drug will be prepared and administered by unblinded study personnel. The intervention consists of a single dose of intravenous ferric derisomaltose 20mg/kg in 100mL normal saline over 30 minutes up to a maximum dose of 1500mg. Clinical monitoring will be conducted in accordance with institutiona

Patients will be booked into the surgical day care unit (SDCU) at the RBWH or the Tess Cramond Pain and Research Centre at their earliest convenience for the interventional phase of the study. The study drug will be prepared and administered by unblinded study personnel. The intervention consists of a single dose of intravenous ferric derisomaltose 20mg/kg in 100mL normal saline over 30 minutes up to a maximum dose of 1500mg. Clinical monitoring will be conducted in accordance with institutional policies for the delivery of either the interventional arm (IV Iron) or placebo (saline) depending on randomisation allocation.

Sponsors

Metro North Health Services Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital
Lead SponsorHospital

Study design

Allocation
Randomised controlled trial
Intervention model
Parallel
Primary purpose
Treatment
Masking
Blinded (masking used) (Subject, Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
All
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

• Greater than or equal to 18 years • Patients experiencing pain for more than 12 months • Patients with confirmed iron deficiency (ferritin <50u/L) with or without anaemia (Hb <120g/L for females, Hb <130g/L for males)

Exclusion criteria

Known or suspected blood disorder • Pregnant • Known medications with iron supplements including intravenous iron • Surgery within the previous 6 months • Inability to provide informed consent due to a diminished understanding or comprehension, or a language other than English without an interpreter

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ANZCTR · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026