Current status of superparamagnetic iron oxide contrast agents for liver magnetic resonance imaging

Five types of superparamagnetic iron oxide (SPIO), i.e. Ferumoxides (Feridex (R) IV, Berlex Laboratories), Ferucarbotran (Resovist (R), Bayer Healthcare), Ferumoxtran-10 (AMI-227 or Code-7227, Combidex (R), AMAG Pharma; Sinerem (R), Guerbet), NC100150 (Clariscan (R), Nycomed,) and (VSOP C184, Ferropharm) have been designed and clinically tested as magnetic resonance contrast agents. However, until now Resovist (R) is current available in only a few countries. The other four agents have been stopped for further development or withdrawn from the market. Another SPIO agent Ferumoxytol (Feraheme (R)) is approved for the treatment of iron deficiency in adult chronic kidney disease patients. Ferumoxytol is comprised of iron oxide particles surrounded by a carbohydrate coat, and it is being explored as a potential imaging approach for evaluating lymph nodes and certain liver tumors.