Weekly HGH Therapy Just as Effective as Daily Injections

If you’re on the fence about human growth hormone therapy because of the idea of daily injections, then we have great news! Novo Nordisk has developed a weekly injection treatment program that is just as effective as daily injections, significantly reducing the treatment burden for adult patients with HGH deficiency. Most people hate the idea of needles but add to that the daily use of needles – ugh, what a drag. Only having to inject once a week is much easier to handle for most people.

Lose Fat and Gain Muscle with Once-Weekly Injections of HGH

The key to the once-weekly HGH treatment protocol is a newly-developed HGH derivative that is long-acting, called somapacitan. When somapacitan was compared to the standard daily HGH injections, the benefits were still the same, as published in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism. For example, long-acting HGH sompacitan was shown to improve truncal and visceral fat and lean body mass, similarly to daily growth hormone treatment in adult patients.

Researcher Gudmundur Johannsson, MD, Ph.D., stated, “The improvements were maintained at 86 weeks, and treatment was well tolerated, with no unexpected safety concerns. Somapacitan may provide an alternative to daily GH treatment for adults with GH deficiency, with the need for less-frequent injections expected to reduce the burden of treatment and cause less interference with daily life.”

Improve Body Composition with Somapacitan

Now, down to the nitty-gritty of the research. In this trial, which spanned 17 countries (!), the scientists analyzed data from 301 adults diagnosed with a growth hormone deficiency, either as adults or children. Each patient was randomly assigned either once-weekly somapacitan, daily HGH, or once-weekly placebo for 34 weeks total.

After 34 weeks, there was an “open-label” 52-week extension period where 272 patients opted to continue treatment with somapacitan or daily HGH injections. Those receiving the placebo were switched to somapacitan, and patients on the daily HGH were randomly assigned to continue daily HGH or switch to somapacitan.

The data collected focused on body composition parameters. Measurements were taken at baseline (beginning of the trial) and the end of each treatment period.

As for the results, after 34 weeks, it was found that the patients on somapacitan experienced a mean 1.06% reduction in truncal fat (abdominal fat) compared to a 0.47% increase in the placebo group. In addition, those on somapacitan also showed improvements in visceral fat (fat around the organs in the abdominal area), lean body mass, and IGF-1 levels.

The improvements in body composition were maintained at the end of the extension period for both groups who were not on the placebo. No adverse side effects were reported.

Daily HGH Injections are a Barrier for Many Patients

HGH deficiency is a chronic condition affecting millions of adult men and women across the United States every year. The need for treatment is on the rise. Johannsson knows that injecting GH daily is a burden to many patients, and many patients do not stay on track with their injection protocol, leading to issues.

“Despite the well-document benefits of GH for this chronic condition, such as improved body composition, the need for daily GH injections — often on top of other hormonal replacement therapies — poses a barrier for many adults with GH deficiency,” he says.

“A once-weekly GH treatment alternative could reduce the treatment burden, leading to improved adherence and may lower the barrier to initiating and continuing replacement therapy.”

More studies are being conducted to ensure the efficacy and safety of somapacitan, including trials with children who suffer from GH deficiency or idiopathic short stature. Stay tuned for further news regarding somapacitan and the roll-out of weekly HGH injections on the market.

Reference

Healio

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