Treatment adherence is a major hurdle in children with pediatric GHD

Several factors, including age, gender, and race, increase the risk of treatment discontinuation in children with pediatric growth hormone deficiency (pGHD).

In this retrospective cohort analysis, patients between the ages of 13 and 16 years with pGHF who were starting treatment with somatropin were followed. Suboptimal adherence was defined as medication possession ratio <80% whereas discontinuation was defined as the date at which a gap of >60 days between prescription8 fills first occurred.

At months 12, the proportion of the 3091 patients with suboptimal adherence was 19.6%; at 12 months that increased to 35.9%. Overall, 42.2% of patients discontinued treatment.

Participants who were age ≥10; female; black and Hispanic races; or obese had higher rates of discontinuation.

Reference
Loftus J, Chen Y, Alvir JMJ, et al. Suboptimal Adherence to daily growth hormone in a US real-world study: an unmet need in the treatment of pediatric growth hormone deficiency. Curr Med Res Opin. 2021;1-26. doi: 10.1080/03007995.2021.1982682. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 34569388.