Singapore - Compai Pharma (a Malaysia based medical and pharmaceutical company) and Pharmacosmos (a family-owned Danish pharmaceutical company headquartered in Denmark) announce their partnership to launch MonoFer, an innovative parenteral iron formulation for the treatment of iron deficiency, by the end of 2018.

Compai Pharma has been granted exclusive rights to market, distribute and sell iron isomaltoside in Malaysia, and will promote the brand through its own medical and sales team across the country.

Iron deficiency is a health-related condition in which iron availability is insufficient to meet the body’s needs and negatively impacting one’s quality of life. It can be present with or without anaemia. Patients with iron deficiency may suffer from symptoms like fatigue, headache, hair-loss, shortness of breath and/or abnormal heartbeat caused by vital processes being compromised by the low iron levels and impaired energy generation in cells. It is commonly associated with various conditions such as certain gynaecological diseases (heavy menstrual bleedings and post-partum haemorrhages) as well as gastrointestinal bleedings, chronic heart failure and other relevant diseases.

The structure of MonoFer is designed to be different from other intravenous iron replacement therapies allowing the possibility to administer high doses of iron, often in only one visit to the doctor, for the benefit and convenience of patients, healthcare professionals and hospital budgets.

Iron deficiency, with and without anaemia, is important across many conditions including for patients planned for surgery (or those with high blood loss during surgery) where early correction of iron levels may reduce blood transfusion requirements; for pregnant women, especially in the 3rd trimester, where iron therapy reduces the potential of negative outcomes for both mother and baby; whilst in the setting of chronic heart failure, correcting iron deficiency has been demonstrated to improve quality of life and may also reduce morbidity and mortality.

It is estimated that up to 1 in 3 women of child-bearing age and nearly 1 in 2 adults over 55 years of age may be suffering, many unknowingly, from iron deficiency - making it one of the most common nutritional deficiencies.

"We are excited to launch MonoFer in Malaysia. By making this product available we believe that many more patients suffering from iron deficiency will now be able to receive treatment and have iron correction in just one visit" says Tim Cushway, CEO Compai Pharma.