Dublin hosted the European Iron Club Conference in the Business School venue in Trinity College Dublin from the 18th to the 20th June. The event was organised by Professor Suzanne Cloonan, Trinity College and Professor John Ryan, RCSI.
The programme explored scientific innovation and research in haemochromatosis and iron deficiency. We invited all our members to also attend two free events for patients, an Expert Speaker Lunch on Saturday, 20th June at 1.25pm and our EFAPH 2026 AGM from 4pm on the day.
The Expert Lunch event was officially opened by Prof. Mayka Sanchez. Prof. Domenico Girelli delivered a comprehensive presentation regarding recent advances in iron dysregulation. He explored the biological importance of iron, its historical context, and the dual clinical risks associated with iron imbalance. He detailed the critical biological roles played by hepcidin and ferroportin, and introduced emerging pharmaceutical developments, including Rusfertide (a hepcidin mimetic currently in Phase 3) and Vamifeport (a ferroportin inhibitor currently in Phase 2).
Sebastian Kaluscha, a Senior Clinical Scientist from CSL Behring, provided an operational update on the “Ferroclear” clinical trial. He noted that between 10% and 30% of HH patients are completely intolerant to standard phlebotomy or fail to respond efficiently, highlighting an urgent necessity for new pharmacological treatments. The ongoing trial is presently in its Phase 2 “proof of concept” stage to rigorously evaluate the molecule’s safety and efficacy in haemochromatosis, among patients who cannot tolerate or do not adequately respond to phlebotomy or current standard of care. Clinicians also gave reassurance that expanding the therapeutic toolkit simply means more tailored options to meet individual patient needs, rather than any replacement of existing effective venesection treatment.
The business of the EFAPH AGM covered administrative updates and a summary of the EIC conference delivered by Professor Mayka Sanchez and individual country updates were shared by Germany, Ireland, Portugal, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, France, and Hungary.
If you would like a copy of Professor Girelli’s presentation or the abstracts from the EIC Conference, please email Miriam, miriam@haemochromatosis.ie
