Weekly Therapy for Adult Growth Hormone Deficiency Approved by FDA

December 26th, 2021

A new type of therapy has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration to treat adult-onset growth hormone deficiency. Sogroya (somapacitan) only needs to be injected once a week instead of daily as with other growth hormone therapies on the market.

In August of 2020, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the sale and use of an entirely new type of growth hormone therapy to treat adult-onset growth hormone deficiency. This is big news because the therapy, Sogroya by Novo Nordisk, makes growth hormone therapy much easier and more convenient for the patient. Typically, a patient who is suffering from low growth hormone will need to inject either pure human growth hormone (HGH) or sermorelin acetate subcutaneously (under the skin) every day, or daily injections. With Sogroya, patients do not need to worry about this every single day because Sogroya only needs to be injected once a week. How cool is that?

Sogroya is the very first HGH therapy of its kind that has been approved by the FDA. With adult-onset growth hormone deficiency on the rise, especially in the United States, this new therapy could be a game-changer.

What is Growth Hormone Deficiency?

Growth hormone deficiency is seen in both children and adults. Adults typically experience adult-onset growth hormone deficiency as they age, resulting in low growth hormone levels. The anterior pituitary gland secretes growth hormone and as one ages, its production slows, sometimes severely. The pituitary gland is a small gland that is located at the base of the brain. It’s incredibly important for hormone health and if growth hormone production is affected, there’s a good chance other hormones will be out of balance as well.

Some of the symptoms of growth hormone deficiency include weight gain, low muscle mass, hair loss, wrinkled, dry skin, poor sleep, depression, anxiety and other unwanted symptoms. Growth hormone deficiency can usually be easily treated with hormone replacement therapy (HRT) under the guidance of an experienced doctor or endocrinologist.

The Development of Sogroya

During the efficacy and safety tests for Sogroya, 300 patients with growth hormone deficiency were evaluated in a randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled trial (a typical study method for the testing of drugs). All of them had either never received growth hormone before in their life or had stopped treatment at least three months earlier.

The different study groups were as follows: weekly Sogroya injections; weekly placebo injections; and daily somatropin (HGH) injections. To determine how effective Sogroya is at treating the symptoms of growth hormone deficiency, the percentage of truncal fat was measured. Truncal fat is the fat that accumulates around the stomach. This area of fat distribution is usually managed by growth hormone and, if not treated, can cause fat accumulation around vital organs.

Sogroya Effectively Reduces Fat Around Waist

The study lasted for 34 weeks and by the end, truncal fat decreased by 1.06% for the patients in the weekly-Sogroya-injection group. In the placebo group, truncal fat increased. The daily-somatropin-injection group saw a decrease by 2.23%. In addition, similar endpoints were seen between the daily-injection group and weekly-Sogroya group, which means Sogroya appears to achieve the same results as the daily injections of HGH do – but with weekly injections instead of daily.

Sogroya for Adult-Onset Growth Hormone Deficiency

The side effects of Sogroya include back pain, indigestion, dizziness, swelling of arms or lower legs, hypertension and vomiting. It is essential that you take Sogroya under the supervision of an experienced doctor or endocrinologist. If you are suffering from growth hormone deficiency and are sick and tired of daily injections, consider discussing Sogroya with your doctor or calling our clinic to be evaluated for its use. If you’re someone who has rejected HRT for growth hormone deficiency because of a fear of needles, perhaps Sogroya is perfect for you – you only need to inject once a week!

Reference

Food and Drug Administration