Intravenous iron for the treatment of iron deficiency in IBD: the pendulum is swinging.

Intravenous (IV) iron therapy has been a major asset in the management of refractory iron-deficiency anemia in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and other diseases. However, the cost-effectiveness of parenteral substitution as the first-line treatment of this condition in IBD has been questioned. A study published by Reinisch et al. in this issue of the journal fails to show non-inferiority of iron isomaltose 1,000, a novel high-dose IV preparation, compared to oral iron sulfate.