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Switching GH brands may adversely affect pediatric patient care

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2010 Pediatric Academic Societies Annual Meeting

With multiple brands of recombinant growth hormone available commercially for pediatric treatment, brand switches are becoming more common. However, growth hormone brand switches may have an adverse effect on patient care and may burden pediatric endocrinology practices, according to data presented at a Lawson Wilkins Pediatric Endocrine Society session at the 2010 Pediatric Academic Societies Annual Meeting.

Ninety percent of 231 pediatric endocrinologists who responded to a survey reported ever switching a pediatric patient from one recombinant human GH product to another. Further, 50% of these respondents reported repeated switches. Brand switches were made to Norditropin (Novo Nordisk), Nutropin (Genentech), Genotropin (Pfizer), Humatrope (Eli Lilly), Saizen (Serono) and Tev-Tropin (Teva Pharmaceuticals).

Adda Grimberg, MD, scientific director of the Diagnostic and Research Growth Center at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, and colleagues sent a nine-question survey to active members of the Lawson Wilkins Pediatric Endocrine Society during the summer of 2009.

Upon switching GH brands, 8% of respondents reported observing effects on treatment efficacy, such as growth deceleration, and 13% had safety concerns. More than 60% of respondents reported observing patient-family issues arise as a result of brand switching.

Dosing errors, interrupted treatment due to learning a new device and impaired compliance related to patient-family anxiety and frustration were the most frequently mentioned concerns.

Only three endocrinologists reported routinely measuring anti-GH antibodies when switching a patient from one brand to another, and results were negative before and after the switch.

Time involvement ranged from two hours for paperwork (40%) to one hour for device instruction (72%) when switching a patient from one brand to another.

For more information:

• Gimberg A. #1450.9. Presented at: 2010 Pediatric Academic Societies Annual Meeting; May 1-4, 2010; Vancouver, British Columbia.

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