What the trial was testing
The DEEP-2 enrolled 435 patients with beta-thalassemia. The study was sponsored by Consorzio per Valutazioni Biologiche e Farmacologiche and tracked outcomes across the full group of patients who matched the trial's eligibility profile.
It was a large trial designed to confirm whether the treatment works well enough for wider use. Trials at this stage are designed to produce evidence regulators and physicians can act on — not just observations to follow up later.
What the results showed
Equal performance — 55% vs. 55% iron control success at one year.
The Lancet Haematology · 2020 · NCT01825512
These findings — that iron control success on deferiprone vs. deferasirox in pediatric thalassemia — were published in the The Lancet Haematology and represent the headline result of the study.
Researchers tracked outcomes across 435 patients enrolled in the trial. The result was consistent enough across the group that the team felt confident reporting it.
What this means for patients
For patients with beta-thalassemia, this result changes the calculus on what to ask their care team about. Whether it changes day-to-day care depends on factors like disease subtype, prior treatments, and where the patient is in their care journey.
What you can do now
Both deferiprone (Ferriprox) and deferasirox (Exjade, Jadenu) are FDA-approved for iron overload from chronic transfusions and available now. Deferiprone requires blood count monitoring for a rare but serious low-white-cell side effect. Ask a hematologist which oral chelator fits your child.
Eligibility for the treatments mentioned above depends on specific test results and clinical history. Bring this summary, the trial name, and your most recent labs or pathology report to your next visit.
Open beta-thalassemia trials
A Long-term Follow-up Study in Participants Who Received CS-101
This is a study to evaluate the long-term safety and efficacy of CS-101 in participants who received CS-101 in study CS -101-03 (NCT06065189)
Gene-Modified Stem Cell Therapy for Subjects With Transfusion-dependent Beta-thalassemia
This is a prospective, dual-centre, single dose, Phase IIb, single arm, open label study. The proposed clinical trial involves a single infusion of autologous HSPCs genetically modified with the GLOBE lentiviral vector, using an improved transduction protocol in 9 patients affected by transfusion dependent Beta-Thalassemia. Four study phases are foreseen: 1. Screening phase, during which the conditions required by the clinical protocol for patients' inclusion/exclusion will be assessed after the signature of the informed consents/assents. Patients will be recruited from the two participating sites: IRCCS Ospedale San Raffaele (OSR), Department of Pediatric Immunohematology and adult Hematology (OSR Stem Cells Programme) (Milan) and IRCCS Ospedale Pediatrico Bambino Gesù (OPBG), Department of Haematology, Oncology and Gene and Cell Therapy (Rome). 2. Baseline phase, carried from the end of the screening phase to the day before the start of the conditioning regimen. 3. Treatment phase, from the first day of conditioning regimen until DP administration. 4. Follow-up phase: from DP administration until 2 years follow-up.