Background/aims: Growth hormone (GH) treatment regimens for children with non-GH-deficient, idiopathic short stature (ISS) have not been optimized. To compare the efficacy, efficiency, and safety of an individualized, target-driven GH regimen with standard weight-based dosing after 4 years of treatment.
Methods: This is a 4-year, open-label, multicenter, randomized trial comparing individualized, formula-based dosing of Genotropin® versus a widely used ISS dose of Genotropin®. Subjects were prepubertal, had a bone age of 3-10 years for males and 3-9 years for females, were naive to GH treatment, and had a height standard deviation score (Ht SDS) of -3 to -2.25, a height velocity <25th percentile for their bone age, and peak stimulated GH >10 ng/ml. After the first 2 years, the individualized-dosing group was further randomized to either 0.18 or 0.24 mg/kg/week.
Results: At 4 years, subjects in all treatment regimens achieved similar average height gains of +1.3 SDS; however, the individualized dosing regimen utilized less GH to achieve an equivalent height gain.
Conclusion: Individualized, formula-based GH dosing, followed by a dose reduction after 2 years, provides a more cost-effective growth improvement in patients with ISS than currently employed weight-based regimens.
© 2015 S. Karger AG, Basel.