Needle-Free and Needle-Based Growth Hormone Therapy in Children: A Pooled Analysis of Three Long-Term Observational Studies

Background: Treatment with growth hormone (GH) is standard clinical practice in children with GH deficiency (GHD) or Turner syndrome (TS). Hitherto, no long-term data on auxological outcome and safety of Zomacton (R) have been published. Data comparing needle-free administration (NF) and needle injection (NI) of GH are very sparse. Aims: To analyse longitudinal auxological outcome and safety data of GH treatment-naive patients diagnosed with GHD or TS and to compare NF and NI in a real-life setting. Methods: Pooled auxological data and safety information from three consecutive prospective observational Zomacton (R) studies covering 22 years of treatment were analysed and NF was compared to NI. Results: The safety cohort comprised 1,595 patients who received at least one GH dose. The auxological outcome cohort comprised 856 treatment-naive patients with followup data >= 12 months. Height-SDS and height velocity improved significantly during the first 3 years of treatment. Documented choice of device was available for 658 patients (NF 69.1%, NI 30.9%). NF administration was non-inferior to NI. No previously unknown safety signals occurred. Conclusion: Real-life data show that treatment with Zomacton (R) improves auxological outcome parameters without new safety concerns. NF administration of GH represents a useful alternative to NI in children with growth disorders.