A recent study published in Oncotarget evaluated the safety and efficacy of ferric citrate in phosphate reduction and iron supplementation, in chronic kidney disease stage 3-5 requiring dialysis patients. In this meta-analysis, a systematic search was conducted for randomized controlled trials on the effects of ferric citrate in chronic kidney disease stage 3-5 requiring dialysis patients, from PubMed, Medline, and Cochrane databases. The results showed that ferric citrate markedly reduced serum phosphate when compared to placebo, and had a non-inferior effect compared with active treatment. In addition, ferric citrate considerably improved hemoglobin, transferrin saturation and ferritin. Meanwhile, adverse effects of constipation did not differ significantly between ferric citrate and placebo or active treatment. The findings suggested that ferric citrate effectively ameliorates hyperphosphatemia and iron deficiency in patients with chronic kidney disease stage 3-5 requiring dialysis patients. Further studies were proposed in order to assess whether the long-term use of ferric citrate can reduce the risk of cardiovascular events and all-cause mortality.