This page shows what was measured, who it was measured in, and what that does not settle.
What Somatropin does in the body
Somatropin is a manufactured copy of the human hormone, made in bacteria, with exactly the same 191 building blocks in the same order.
Growth hormone does not push on bone directly. It travels to the liver and tells it to release a second messenger called IGF-1, and that is what makes the cartilage at the ends of a child bones divide and lay down new bone. It restarts a signal that is missing, or amplifies one that is already normal.
Why people take it. Children who are not growing normally, and adults with a damaged pituitary gland
What happened in people
Healthy elderly adults: fat mass -2.1 kg, lean mass +2.1 kg, no change in bone density, more adverse events
✎ Source-linked record
Where this came from
A person wrote this into the record with the study named beside it. No reviewer has signed it off.
The recorded finding that sits closest to something a person would notice. Written into the record, not signed off, and it carries no population or interval.
A person wrote this explanation into the record, with the studies named in the path below.
The recorded use, written for a reader without medical training. Not signed off.
A limit recorded against this substance. Not signed off as a reviewed claim.
The four opening statements run to 114 words.
Words this page uses
Four words worth knowing first
Chosen from what this page shows, with each one explained before the word it depends on.
Stand-in result
A stand-in result is a number measured because the real result takes too long.
A picture of it, and where the picture fails
It is like judging a journey by the speedometer rather than by arriving.
Where that stops being true. Speed does predict arrival. Many stand-in results do not predict the real one.
What people get wrong. A stand-in result is often reported as the result itself.
A surrogate endpoint substituted for a clinical endpoint, valid only where the substitution has been shown to hold.
Randomisation
Randomisation means chance decides who gets which treatment.
A picture of it, and where the picture fails
It is like a coin toss deciding the groups.
Where that stops being true. A coin toss is fair once. Fairness here comes from doing it for everyone.
What people get wrong. It is thought to make groups identical. It makes them similar on average, including on things nobody measured.
Allocation of participants to arms by a chance process, so that unmeasured factors are balanced in expectation.
Absolute difference
An absolute difference is how many more people in a hundred were affected.
A picture of it, and where the picture fails
It is like counting heads in two rooms of a hundred.
Where that stops being true. Heads are easy to count. Study results carry a margin of error too.
What people get wrong. It is confused with a percentage change, which can look far larger.
The arithmetic difference in event rates between arms.
Confidence interval
A confidence interval is the range the true answer is likely to sit in.
A picture of it, and where the picture fails
It is like a weather forecast giving a range rather than one number.
Where that stops being true. A forecast range covers tomorrow. This one covers what the study could resolve.
What people get wrong. The middle number is read as the answer. A range crossing zero means no change is still possible.
An interval estimate that would contain the true parameter in a stated proportion of repeated studies.
What happened in people◇Read from sources, not yet reviewed
What was measured, goal by goal
One row for each goal a registered study measured something for. One column for each kind of thing that could be measured.
Registered studies list 40 outcome measures that RNAWiki could read. A registered study says what someone planned to measure. It does not say what they found. 0 of the matched studies tested this substance, and 0 posted a result.
There is no single score. A strong test result and a weak life result are different facts.
Goals down the side, kinds of measurement across the top. Each cell says what kind of thing was registered, not what was found.
Goal
Life outcome
What a body can do
How a person feels
A test result
A step in the body
Harms
How long
Who was studied
Body weight
∅Nothing in the sources checkedNo registered study lists a life outcome for this goal.
∅Nothing in the sources checkedNo registered study lists a performance measure for this goal.
∅Nothing in the sources checkedNo registered study lists a symptom measure for this goal.
△Only a number moved3 registered test measure.
∅Nothing in the sources checkedNo registered study lists a body-step measure for this goal.
—Not recordedHarms were not a registered measure for this goal.
—Not recordedNo finished study window is recorded.
…Waiting for a reviewerWho was studied is listed further down the page.
Fertility and sexual health
∅Nothing in the sources checkedNo registered study lists a life outcome for this goal.
∅Nothing in the sources checkedNo registered study lists a performance measure for this goal.
∅Nothing in the sources checkedNo registered study lists a symptom measure for this goal.
∅Nothing in the sources checkedNo registered study lists a test result for this goal.
∅Nothing in the sources checkedNo registered study lists a body-step measure for this goal.
—Not recordedHarms were not a registered measure for this goal.
—Not recordedNo finished study window is recorded.
…Waiting for a reviewerWho was studied is listed further down the page.
Endurance
∅Nothing in the sources checkedNo registered study lists a life outcome for this goal.
…Waiting for a reviewer1 registered performance measure of this kind.
∅Nothing in the sources checkedNo registered study lists a symptom measure for this goal.
∅Nothing in the sources checkedNo registered study lists a test result for this goal.
∅Nothing in the sources checkedNo registered study lists a body-step measure for this goal.
—Not recordedHarms were not a registered measure for this goal.
—Not recordedNo finished study window is recorded.
…Waiting for a reviewerWho was studied is listed further down the page.
Blood sugar
∅Nothing in the sources checkedNo registered study lists a life outcome for this goal.
∅Nothing in the sources checkedNo registered study lists a performance measure for this goal.
∅Nothing in the sources checkedNo registered study lists a symptom measure for this goal.
△Only a number moved1 registered test measure.
∅Nothing in the sources checkedNo registered study lists a body-step measure for this goal.
—Not recordedHarms were not a registered measure for this goal.
—Not recordedNo finished study window is recorded.
…Waiting for a reviewerWho was studied is listed further down the page.
Which registered measures put each goal on this table
Body weight
total fat mass; body composition; body mass index
Fertility and sexual health
testosterone levels
Endurance
peak vo2
Blood sugar
insulin sensitivity
Sorted by fixed word lists, version v1. A name the rules do not recognise stays unsorted rather than moving to the nearest column.
What each mark on this table means
∅ Nothing in the sources checked
No registered study lists a life outcome for this goal.
△ Only a number moved
3 registered test measure.
— Not recorded
Harms were not a registered measure for this goal.
… Waiting for a reviewer
Who was studied is listed further down the page.
What happened in people◇Read from sources, not yet reviewed
What happened in people
Each card is one study: the exact question it asked, who was in it, and whether it showed what it set out to show.
Adult height standard deviation score versus placebo
✓ The study showed what it set out to show
Who was studied
Leschek 2004 idiopathic short stature trial (predates ClinicalTrials.gov registration)
How many people
68
Study design
Phase 3
Compared against
Not recorded for this study
Kind of result
A number that stands in for health
What was found
p < 0.02 (0.51 SDS, 3.7 cm; 95% CI 0.10-0.92 SDS)
Repeated elsewhere
Partially Replicated
What this does not prove. Meeting one endpoint in one population does not carry to other goals or other people.
The limits of this study, and where it came from
Main limit. Adult height was available for only 33 of the 68 randomised children, which is a substantial attrition for the primary endpoint and is rarely quoted alongside the 3.7 cm figure.
How far it carries. This study is recorded from the curated record, not from the registry match.
Form and route. Subcutaneous injection, lyophilised powder in multi-dose cartridges reconstituted with preserved diluent
Interval reported. 95% CI 0
Written into the record, not signed off as a reviewed claim.
RNAWiki holds 3 written-up human studies for this substance, each with the question it asked.
How we know it
Each card names the study, the number of people and what the study set out to measure.
What this does not prove
These summaries were written by a person and have not been signed off as reviewed claims.
Why it matters
A study that failed is as informative as one that worked, and both are here.
What we still do not know
No reviewed claim exists, so no exact population, effect size or interval is published yet.
What happened in people◇Read from sources, not yet reviewed
How close this is to real life
The top step is something a person would feel or care about. The bottom is a guess from software. Filled steps are where evidence exists for this substance.
□Living longer, or avoiding a major eventNo evidence recorded. Death, a heart attack, a stroke, a hospital stay.No registered study measures this.
■What a body can do day to dayEvidence recorded. Walking, dressing, breathing, recovering.1 registered measure of this kind.
■Measured performanceEvidence recorded. How much was lifted, how far was run, how fast.1 registered measure of this kind.
■Symptoms and quality of lifeEvidence recorded. Pain, tiredness, mood, sleep, as the person rated it.1 registered measure of this kind.
■A number that stands in for healthEvidence recorded. Cholesterol, blood sugar, bone density. A stand-in, not the thing itself.6 registered measures of this kind.
■A step measured inside a personEvidence recorded. Something measured in human tissue or human cells.A human record sits on the stored organism ladder.
□AnimalsNo evidence recorded. Mice, rats, dogs. Useful for ideas, not proof about people.No animal record is stored.
□Cells in a dishNo evidence recorded. Cells or chemistry on a bench, far from a whole body.No cell or bench record is stored.
□A guess from softwareNo evidence recorded. Nobody measured it. RNAWiki never publishes one as a finding.RNAWiki stores no prediction for this record. Software can suggest a link. RNAWiki does not publish one as a finding.
Higher on these steps means closer to something a person would feel. It does not mean better done.
What it changes in the body◇Read from sources, not yet reviewed
The path through the body
From what a person takes to what changes. A solid line is a step measured in people. A dashed line is a step nobody has measured that way.
Start
Somatropin
What a person takes: Subcutaneous injection, lyophilised powder in multi-dose cartridges reconstituted with preserved diluent.
The measurement behind this step
Sterile lyophilised powder reconstituted to approximately pH 7.5 and injected daily, typically in the evening to approximate the natural nocturnal pulse. The product is oxygen sensitive, which shapes the cartridge and diluent design.
Getting in
Daily subcutaneous injection
Given as an injection under the skin, usually in the evening, every day for years. Weekly long-acting versions now exist.
╌╌Described, with no measurement named. No measurement is named for this step, so it is drawn as an unconfirmed link.
The measurement behind this step
Subcutaneous administration gives a peak at three to five hours and a serum half-life of two to three hours, but the biological effect long outlasts the pharmacokinetics because the mediator is IGF-1, which has a half-life of roughly half a day when bound to its acid-labile subunit complex.
On the surface of liver and cartilage cells, a single hormone molecule clamps two receptor chains together using two different-shaped faces.
╌╌Described, with no measurement named. No measurement is named for this step, so it is drawn as an unconfirmed link.
The measurement behind this step
Growth hormone has two structurally distinct receptor-binding sites of very different affinity. Site 1 binds first, site 2 recruits a second GHR chain, and the resulting asymmetric 1:2 complex rotates the preformed receptor dimer rather than assembling it de novo. Excess hormone occupies site 1 on separate receptors and blocks dimerisation, which is why the dose-response curve is bell-shaped.
JAK2-STAT5B switches on IGF-1 transcription in the liver
The receptor sends a signal into the liver cell nucleus telling it to start producing the second messenger, IGF-1.
──Measured in people. Written by a person from the study named beside the step. Not signed off as a reviewed claim.
The measurement behind this step
Receptor rotation activates the constitutively associated JAK2, phosphorylating GHR cytoplasmic tyrosines and recruiting STAT5B, which dimerises, enters the nucleus and drives IGF1 and IGFALS transcription. Loss-of-function STAT5B mutations produce growth hormone insensitivity with normal or high growth hormone and low IGF-1, which is the human experiment confirming this step.
The liver releases IGF-1 into the blood, wrapped in carrier proteins that stop it being cleared or acting where it should not.
╌╌Described, with no measurement named. No measurement is named for this step, so it is drawn as an unconfirmed link.
The measurement behind this step
IGF-1 is carried in a ternary complex with IGFBP-3 and the acid-labile subunit, which extends its half-life from minutes to roughly 12 to 15 hours and restricts capillary escape. This is why serum IGF-1 rather than growth hormone is the practical monitoring assay.
Growth plate chondrocytes divide and lay down bone
At the growing ends of the long bones, cartilage cells multiply, enlarge and are replaced by bone, and the bone gets longer.
╌╌Described, with no measurement named. No measurement is named for this step, so it is drawn as an unconfirmed link.
The measurement behind this step
IGF-1 acts on IGF1R in the proliferative and hypertrophic zones of the epiphyseal growth plate, driving chondrocyte proliferation and hypertrophy followed by endochondral ossification. Growth hormone also acts directly on resting-zone chondrocytes, so the endocrine and paracrine routes are additive.
The result is faster growth for as long as the growth plates remain open. Once oestrogen closes them at the end of puberty, no amount of the drug adds height.
──Measured in people. Written by a person from the study named beside the step. Not signed off as a reviewed claim.
The measurement behind this step
Oestrogen-driven epiphyseal fusion is an absolute ceiling on this mechanism, which is why the therapeutic window is childhood and why treatment started late gains less. In idiopathic short stature the randomised adult height gain is 0.51 to 0.65 SDS, roughly 3.7 to 4 cm.
No suggested links are held for this record, so nothing is hidden from this path.
What we know
The record describes 6 steps from taking it to an effect in a person.
How we know it
Each step names the study behind it in the technical detail beside it.
What this does not prove
A change inside the body is a reason to look. It is not a result in a person.
Why it matters
A reader can see exactly where the chain stops being measured in people.
What we still do not know
No reviewed claim binds any of these steps to a named population.
What it would be like to take◇Read from sources, not yet reviewed
Felt, measured, or meaningful
Three different things that get called the same word. Registered studies measured all three, and mixing them is how a blood test becomes a health claim.
Felt
Things a person could notice without a test.
quality of life
Measured
Things only a test, a scale or a device shows.
total fat mass
peak vo2
insulin sensitivity
area under the serum hgh concentration time curve
body composition
body mass index
bone mineral density
Meaningful
Things that change how a life goes, not only a number.
No registered study measured anything of this kind.
A registered study says what someone planned to measure. It does not say what they found. A number moving is not the same as a life going better. The two are shown apart here.
Felt, but not shown to help. A person notices a change. No study showed it leads anywhere good.
Measured, but not felt. A number moves. The person notices nothing. Both can be true.
Measured, but not shown to matter. A number moves in the good direction. Nobody showed that lives went better.
Matters, but takes years. The result that counts may take longer than anyone would keep watching.
Names that fit none of the three (32)
who died
height standard deviation
final height
height velocity
testosterone levels
one or more drug related adverse events
adult height standard deviation
gh receptor signaling
treatment related adverse events
height
treatment emergent adverse events
frequency of adverse events
safety and tolerability
adverse events
mature oocytes retrieved
predicted height
metaphase ii oocytes retrieved
serious adverse events
incidence of adverse drug reactions
height sds
These are harms, study-process measures, or names the rules did not recognise. They are shown rather than dropped.
What is missing or unclear◇Read from sources, not yet reviewed
Were people like you studied?
RNAWiki cannot tell whether a study fits you. It can show who was in it, and where the result stops carrying.
Who was studied
People similar to this profile were included.
Children with proven growth hormone deficiency, Turner syndrome, Prader-Willi syndrome, chronic kidney disease, SHOX deficiency, small-for-gestational-age without catch-up, and — since 2003 in the US — idiopathic short stature, which is short stature with no identified cause and no hormone deficiency at all.
Who is missing from the studies
Which groups were under-represented in the studies has not been recorded for this substance. Pregnancy, breastfeeding, children, older adults, and people with liver or kidney conditions are commonly excluded from trials; nothing here says whether they were.
What the label states about particular groups
On pediatric, the label states: “Safety and effectiveness in pediatric patients with HIV have not been established.”
US prescribing information · 62b01d29-90f0-45b2-a0c4-3a750ba36c8a · read 2026-08-30
On older people, the label states: “Clinical studies with SEROSTIM did not include sufficient numbers of subjects aged 65 and over to determine whether they respond differently from younger subjects.”
US prescribing information · 62b01d29-90f0-45b2-a0c4-3a750ba36c8a · read 2026-08-30
On people who are pregnant, the label states: “Risk Summary Available data with somatropin use in pregnant women are insufficient to identify a drug-associated risk of major birth defects, miscarriage or other adverse maternal or fetal outcomes.”
US prescribing information · 62b01d29-90f0-45b2-a0c4-3a750ba36c8a · read 2026-08-30
On people who are breastfeeding, the label states: “Risk Summary There are no data on the presence of SEROSTIM in human milk, the effects on the breastfed infant, or the effects on milk production.”
US prescribing information · 62b01d29-90f0-45b2-a0c4-3a750ba36c8a · read 2026-08-30
On people with reduced kidney function, the label states: “Subjects with chronic renal failure tend to have decreased somatropin clearance compared to those with normal renal function.”
US prescribing information · 62b01d29-90f0-45b2-a0c4-3a750ba36c8a · read 2026-08-30
Where the result stopped carrying
Cadaveric pituitary growth hormone caused 226 cases of iatrogenic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and was abandoned in 1985
Anti-ageing use was tested in randomised trials and produced adverse events without benefit; the authors recommended against it
This is a scope explorer, not a diagnosis engine.
It shows who was studied so you can see whether people similar to you were included.
RNAWiki cannot tell whether a study fits you. It can show who was in it.
What it would be like to take◇Read from sources, not yet reviewed
Why it might seem to do nothing
A real effect and a noticed effect are different things. These are the recorded reasons the two come apart.
It was studied for a different goal
The studies measured something else entirely.
On this record: Some registered studies measured things that match no goal on this page.
It was studied in different people
The people in the studies were not much like the reader.
On this record: Which groups were under-represented in the studies has not been recorded for this substance. Pregnancy, breastfeeding, children, older adults, and people with liver or kidney conditions are commonly excluded from trials; nothing here says whether they were.
The evidence may simply be wrong
Small early studies often do not hold up.
On this record: RNAWiki has not yet published a reviewed conclusion for this use.
Other reasons RNAWiki checked and found nothing for (10)
A different form was studied
The studied form is not the form on the shelf. Nothing in this record points to this reason.
There was nothing to correct
Where a level is already normal, topping it up may change nothing. Nothing in this record points to this reason.
Something else had to happen too
In the studies it was paired with training, a diet or another treatment. Nothing in this record points to this reason.
The change is too small to feel
A real change can still sit below what a person notices. Nothing in this record points to this reason.
Day-to-day swing hides it
Sleep, food, stress and time of day move most numbers more than this would. Nothing in this record points to this reason.
Not enough time yet
The studies ran longer than the person has waited. Nothing in this record points to this reason.
It was not taken as studied
Missed days change the result, and studies count them. Nothing in this record points to this reason.
Something else changed at the same time
Two changes at once cannot be told apart afterwards. Nothing in this record points to this reason.
The product may not be what it says
Contents of a sold product are not always what the label states. Nothing in this record points to this reason.
No recorded reason
RNAWiki has nothing stored that would explain it. Nothing in this record points to this reason.
None of these is a reason to take more. Taking more is not a step this page ever suggests.
What it would be like to take◇Read from sources, not yet reviewed
What taking it involves
The recorded facts about getting hold of it and using it. Nothing here is a suggestion about what you should do.
How it is supplied
Given by a clinician
❝ Quoted from a source
Where this came from
Copied from a source RNAWiki stored, with the source named.
Read from the recorded approval status.
No source is stored against this line.
Form and route
Subcutaneous injection, lyophilised powder in multi-dose cartridges reconstituted with preserved diluent
✎ Source-linked record
Where this came from
A person wrote this into the record with the study named beside it. No reviewer has signed it off.
The form and route recorded on this substance.
No source is stored against this line.
Who oversees it
Professional supervision is normally required. A regulator classifies this substance in a way that restricts how it is supplied.
❝ Quoted from a source
Where this came from
Copied from a source RNAWiki stored, with the source named.
Suppression classes recorded: S1.
No source is stored against this line.
What is in the pack
5 and injected daily, typically in the evening to approximate the natural nocturnal pulse. The product is oxygen sensitive, which shapes the cartridge and diluent design.
✎ Source-linked record
Where this came from
A person wrote this into the record with the study named beside it. No reviewer has signed it off.
Recorded notes on how this is sold and what that means for what is in the pack.
No source is stored against this line.
Where it is registered
Regulatory records are listed in the technical disclosure at the foot of this page.
# Counted from records
Where this came from
A count of rows RNAWiki holds. It describes our records, not your body.
Register entries are stored per jurisdiction and shown with their dates.
No source is stored against this line.
Why people stop
Not recorded.
∅ Nothing recorded
Where this came from
RNAWiki holds nothing here and says so rather than guessing.
No record of why people stopped taking it is stored for this substance.
No source is stored against this line.
What it would be like to take◇Read from sources, not yet reviewed
What can go wrong
Sorted by where each line came from. A regulator's label and a report somebody sent in are not the same kind of fact.
·Worth asking a clinician aboutWritten into the record from the studies named on this page
Not for patients with acute critical illness, active malignancy, active proliferative diabetic retinopathy, or in Prader-Willi syndrome with severe obesity or severe respiratory impairment, where deaths have been reported. Intracranial hypertension, slipped capital femoral epiphysis, scoliosis progression, glucose intolerance, hypothyroidism and fluid retention are labelled risks.
Nobody counted how many people took this and were fine, so this cannot be turned into a rate.
These are reports people sent to a regulator. They do not show the medicine caused the reaction.
Nobody counted how many people took the medicine and reported nothing.
The same event can be reported more than once, and many reports are incomplete.
News coverage, lawsuits and new warnings change how often people report.
A count is not a rate and not a risk.
Somatropin appears in spontaneous reports to regulators. Across the 10 most-reported reaction terms, 3371 reaction mentions were counted. One report can name several reactions.
wrong technique in device usage process — 141 reaction mentions
open-targets-adr · recorded 2026-06-24 · a recorded source, not a stored snapshot
Over a long time. No completed tested study window is recorded, so long-term effects are not established by the registry record.
Groups the studies covered thinly. Which groups were under-represented in the studies has not been recorded for this substance. Pregnancy, breastfeeding, children, older adults, and people with liver or kidney conditions are commonly excluded from trials; nothing here says whether they were.
What is missing or unclear◇Read from sources, not yet reviewed
Does the exact form matter?
Evidence belongs to the exact thing that was tested. A different salt, a different mixture or a different preparation is a different question.
The form that was studied
Subcutaneous injection, lyophilised powder in multi-dose cartridges reconstituted with preserved diluent
✎ Source-linked record
Where this came from
A person wrote this into the record with the study named beside it. No reviewer has signed it off.
The form used in the studies cited on this page.
No source is stored against this line.
What is sold
ally in the evening to approximate the natural nocturnal pulse. The product is oxygen sensitive, which shapes the cartridge and diluent design.
✎ Source-linked record
Where this came from
A person wrote this into the record with the study named beside it. No reviewer has signed it off.
Recorded notes on which forms are sold and how they compare.
No source is stored against this line.
What is recorded as being sold
42 products list this as an active ingredient in the United States drug directory. 17 of them contain it and nothing else.
FDA National Drug Code directory · 0781-3001 · read 2026-08-29
They are sold as gel, injection, solution, liquid, powder, powder, for solution and solution, taken oral, subcutaneous, sublingual and topical.
FDA National Drug Code directory · 0781-3001 · read 2026-08-29
The regulator's established pharmacologic class for it is human growth hormone [cs] and recombinant human growth hormone [epc].
FDA National Drug Code directory · 0781-3001 · read 2026-08-29
29 published labels name it as an active ingredient. 7 of them describe this substance alone, which is where its own label text on this page comes from.
US prescribing information · 297fe55b-ac23-4a7f-bbbe-1005c0066931 · read 2026-08-29
Those labels are classed as human otc drug and human prescription drug.
US prescribing information · 297fe55b-ac23-4a7f-bbbe-1005c0066931 · read 2026-08-29
Serostim is subcutaneous at 3 DOSAGE FORMS AND STRENGTHS For injection: 4 mg white to off-white lyophilized powder in a single-patient-use vial for reconstitution with co-packaged vial of Bacteriostatic Water for Injection (containing 0.9% benzyl…, recorded as fda label in effect 2026-07-28 in the United States.
US prescribing information · 62b01d29-90f0-45b2-a0c4-3a750ba36c8a · read 2026-08-30
Evidence carries across two names for one substance. It does not carry across a salt, a mirror form or a mixture.
What it would be like to take◇Read from sources, not yet reviewed
What you could measure
This one is decided with a clinician, so this section holds questions to ask rather than a plan to run.
Self-experiment planning is not offered for a prescription or clinician-supervised medicine. The questions below are for a clinician or pharmacist.
Questions worth asking
Which of the trials of Somatropin studied people like me?
What was measured, and for how long?
Was the result a laboratory value or a health outcome?
What would we watch for, and when would we stop?
Tracking can show whether something changed for you. It cannot show what caused it.
RNAWiki records evidence. It does not say whether this substance is right for you.
What is missing or unclear◇Read from sources, not yet reviewed
Claims that go past the evidence
Things said about this substance that sound reasonable, and the exact step that is missing between the evidence and the claim.
✗Goes past the evidence
That 3 to 4 cm of adult height improves psychosocial outcomes in a child with no hormone deficiency
Why it sounds right. It follows from something real on this page: a body step, an animal result or a related finding.
The missing step. Nobody measured this in people for this use, or the study that did measure it did not show it.
What would change this
A study in people, for this exact use, measuring this exact thing, that a reviewer signs off.
RNAWiki has not yet published a reviewed conclusion for this use.
✗Goes past the evidence
That the body composition changes in Rudman 1990 represent reversal of ageing
Why it sounds right. It follows from something real on this page: a body step, an animal result or a related finding.
The missing step. Nobody measured this in people for this use, or the study that did measure it did not show it.
What would change this
A study in people, for this exact use, measuring this exact thing, that a reviewer signs off.
RNAWiki has not yet published a reviewed conclusion for this use.
✗Goes past the evidence
That growth hormone response in idiopathic short stature is predictable in an individual child; the review calls individual response highly variable
Why it sounds right. It follows from something real on this page: a body step, an animal result or a related finding.
The missing step. Nobody measured this in people for this use, or the study that did measure it did not show it.
What would change this
A study in people, for this exact use, measuring this exact thing, that a reviewer signs off.
RNAWiki has not yet published a reviewed conclusion for this use.
What is missing or unclear◇Read from sources, not yet reviewed
What nobody knows yet
Open questions, each with why it is open and what would close it.
Missing populations
Which groups were under-represented in the studies has not been recorded.
Why it matters. Recorded by the evidence model as a gap on this record.
What would answer it
A study that measures it, and a reviewer to sign it off.
Last checked 2026-09-04. Searched: The sources listed in the receipts at the foot of this page.
Missing long-term data
No completed tested study window is recorded.
Why it matters. Recorded by the evidence model as a gap on this record.
What would answer it
A study that measures it, and a reviewer to sign it off.
Last checked 2026-09-04. Searched: The sources listed in the receipts at the foot of this page.
No reviewed conclusion
RNAWiki has not yet published a reviewed conclusion for this use.
Why it matters. Recorded by the evidence model as a gap on this record.
What would answer it
A study that measures it, and a reviewer to sign it off.
Last checked 2026-09-04. Searched: The sources listed in the receipts at the foot of this page.
Missing interaction studies
No interaction was found in the registers checked. Not finding one is not the same as showing there is none.
Why it matters. Recorded by the evidence model as a gap on this record.
What would answer it
A study that measures it, and a reviewer to sign it off.
Last checked 2026-09-04. Searched: The sources listed in the receipts at the foot of this page.
Formulation uncertainty
Several salts, forms or products of Somatropin are recorded. Results from one form may not transfer to another.
Why it matters. Recorded by the evidence model as a gap on this record.
What would answer it
A study that measures it, and a reviewer to sign it off.
Last checked 2026-09-04. Searched: The sources listed in the receipts at the foot of this page.
Mechanism not reviewed
No reviewed mechanism story exists for this substance.
Why it matters. Recorded by the evidence model as a gap on this record.
What would answer it
A study that measures it, and a reviewer to sign it off.
Last checked 2026-09-04. Searched: The sources listed in the receipts at the foot of this page.
What happened in people◇Read from sources, not yet reviewed
Check any of this yourself
Every line above traced back to the study it came from. This is the technical layer, and the vocabulary changes here.
Every line above can be traced to the study named beside it. Follow the link and read it.
The predecessor killed 226 people, which is why this molecule exists
In plain words
Before recombinant growth hormone, the drug was extracted from pituitary glands taken from cadavers. Some of those donors had Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, and the extraction did not remove the prion.
What was measured
226 cases of iatrogenic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease attributed to cadaveric growth hormone
Effect estimate
No reviewed effect estimate exists for this record.
Limits
This entry records a failure.
From the source
The final assessment of iatrogenic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease identifies contaminated cadaveric growth hormone as the source of 226 cases worldwide, alongside 228 from dura mater grafts. Incubation periods ran to decades. Cadaveric pituitary growth hormone programmes were halted in 1985 and recombinant somatropin replaced them. This is the clearest case in modern medicine of a manufacturing route, rather than a molecule, being the hazard.
Written into the record, not signed off as a reviewed claim
Idiopathic short stature: 3.7 cm of adult height in the randomised trial
In plain words
In the only placebo-controlled trial that followed children to adult height, treated children ended up about 3.7 cm taller. The trial started with 68 children and had adult heights for 33.
What was measured
Adult height difference 0.51 SDS, 3.7 cm (95% CI 0.10-0.92 SDS), n = 33 with adult height data
Effect estimate
No reviewed effect estimate exists for this record.
Limits
See the technical detail.
From the source
Randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in 68 children aged 9 to 16 with height or predicted height at or below -2.5 standard deviation score and no growth hormone deficiency. Growth hormone 0.074 mg/kg subcutaneously three times weekly until near adult height, mean treatment duration 4.4 years. Adult height data were available for 33 patients. Adult height was -1.81 SDS on treatment versus -2.32 SDS on placebo, a difference of 0.51 SDS or 3.7 cm (p < 0.02; 95% CI 0.10-0.92 SDS). Modified intent-to-treat analysis in 62 patients treated at least six months gave 0.52 SDS, 3.8 cm.
Written into the record, not signed off as a reviewed claim
Systematic review: about 4 cm, and the authors call it less than in licensed conditions
In plain words
Pooling the randomised evidence gives a height gain of roughly 4 cm, and the review authors note that this is smaller than what growth hormone achieves in the conditions it was originally licensed for.
What was measured
Adult height gain 0.65 SDS (about 4 cm) across three randomised trials, 115 children
Effect estimate
No reviewed effect estimate exists for this record.
Limits
See the technical detail.
From the source
Systematic review of randomised and non-randomised controlled trials from 1985 to April 2010 with adult height measurements. Three randomised trials with 115 children met inclusion criteria: adult height of treated children exceeded controls by 0.65 SDS, about 4 cm. Mean height gain was 1.2 SDS in treated versus 0.34 SDS in untreated children. Seven non-randomised trials gave 0.45 SDS, about 3 cm. The difference between two dose regimens was about 1.2 cm. The authors state the magnitude of effectiveness is on average less than that achieved in other licensed conditions and that individual response is highly variable.
Written into the record, not signed off as a reviewed claim
The psychosocial justification for treating short stature was never demonstrated
In plain words
The reason usually given for treating a healthy short child is that being short is distressing. The trials measured centimetres. They did not show that treated children end up happier.
What was measured
That gaining 3 to 4 cm of adult height improves psychosocial wellbeing in a child who has no hormone deficiency
Effect estimate
No reviewed effect estimate exists for this record.
Limits
See the technical detail.
From the source
The US idiopathic short stature indication was granted on 25 July 2003 as an efficacy supplement to BLA 019640, on the basis of height outcomes. The randomised evidence base summarised in the 2011 systematic review consists of adult height in standard deviation scores; quality-of-life and psychosocial outcomes are not among the pooled endpoints, and the review does not report them. Treating a healthy child with daily injections for several years on the assumption that height gain produces psychological benefit is an inference, and it is the central one in this indication.
Written into the record, not signed off as a reviewed claim
The anti-ageing use has been tested and does not work
In plain words
Eighteen randomised study populations, 220 people who received growth hormone. Body fat fell about 2 kg and lean mass rose about 2 kg. Bone density did not change, and side effects rose.
What was measured
That the body composition changes reported by Rudman in 1990 in 12 men represent rejuvenation
Effect estimate
No reviewed effect estimate exists for this record.
Limits
This entry records a failure.
From the source
Systematic review of randomised controlled trials of growth hormone in healthy elderly people, mean age 69, mean BMI 28. Fat mass changed by -2.1 kg (95% CI -2.8 to -1.35) and lean body mass by +2.1 kg (95% CI 1.3 to 2.9), both p < 0.001, with no significant change in weight (0.1 kg, p = 0.87). Total cholesterol fell 0.29 mmol/L but not significantly after adjustment for body composition. Bone density and other lipids did not change. Treated participants were significantly more likely to develop soft tissue oedema, arthralgias, carpal tunnel syndrome and gynaecomastia, and somewhat more likely to develop diabetes and impaired fasting glucose. The authors concluded growth hormone cannot be recommended as an anti-ageing therapy.
Written into the record, not signed off as a reviewed claim
Long-term mortality tracks the underlying diagnosis, not the drug
In plain words
A European cohort of 24,232 children treated with growth hormone, followed for over 400,000 person-years, found no increase in overall death rates in those treated for isolated deficiency or idiopathic short stature.
What was measured
Standardised mortality ratio 1.1 (95% CI 0.9-1.3) in low-risk treated patients over 400,000 person-years
Effect estimate
No reviewed effect estimate exists for this record.
Limits
See the technical detail.
From the source
SAGhE cohort study across eight European countries. In low-risk patients with isolated growth hormone deficiency or idiopathic short stature, all-cause mortality standardised mortality ratio was 1.1 (95% CI 0.9-1.3). In children born small for gestational age it was 1.5 (95% CI 1.1-1.9), driven by the French subcohort. In moderate- and high-risk underlying diagnoses it was 3.8 and 17.1 respectively, reflecting the underlying disease. Mortality was not associated with mean daily or cumulative growth hormone dose in any risk group. Mortality from circulatory and haematological disease was increased across all risk groups, which the authors flag as needing continued surveillance.
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What is not here
4 questions this page could not answer
These sections were prepared and left out because there was nothing to put in them. They are listed rather than hidden, so the gaps in this record are visible.
How long anything takes — found nothing in the sources checked.
What it may clash with — found nothing in the sources checked.
Other ways to the same goal — found nothing in the sources checked.
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The record as stored
The full record, for auditing
Everything above is built from what is below. This layer keeps the technical vocabulary, record identifiers and every stored row, so a reader who wants to check the page can.
The older medicine-wide conclusion held in this record
Written for a clinical reader, and about the medicine as a whole rather than about one indication, population and set of trials. RNAWiki does not treat it as a programme conclusion and no reviewer has signed it off in that form. It is here word for word because it is what the record holds.
A recombinant copy of the 191-amino-acid pituitary hormone that replaced cadaveric pituitary extract after that route killed 226 people with Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease; in children with idiopathic short stature and no hormone deficiency, the randomised adult height gain is about 4 cm.
Recorded evidence blocks (11)
Q2
What did Somatropin's largest trial (65205 people) and its longest (26 years) measure?
65205 people in Somatropin's largest registered study, 26 years in its longest registered window, measuring Mortality - Time to All-cause Death. ClinicalTrials.gov · 2026-09-01
91 phase3, 51 phase2, 42 na or unstated, 31 phase4, 28 phase1, 19 na, 2 early phase1; NCT00001305; 2017-05-19; no ageing endpoint recorded. Last human test completed 2026, NCT07542886.
Interpretation These counts include studies where Somatropin was a comparison treatment, a background treatment or an exposure in an observational study, and the longest window may be a planned end date. Trial roles have not yet been classified for this record.
Show the evidence
phase3
91
phase2
51
na or unstated
42
phase4
31
phase1
28
na
19
2 more recorded rows
early phase1
2
Last recorded human testNCT07542886
2026-07-24
recorded 2026-09-01 · last checked 2026-09-04
Q3
Somatropin was tested only in human — what did it show?
Interpretation Mortality - Time to All-cause Death — the recorded outcome words.
Show the evidence
humanNCT00503698
lifespan; Mortality - Time to All-cause Death; 246
recorded 2026-09-01 · last checked 2026-09-04
Q4
27 of Somatropin's trials stopped: safety, accrual/recruitment, funding/business, other?
safety (2), accrual/recruitment (12), funding/business (3) and other (10): Somatropin's stop wording, clustered. ClinicalTrials.gov · 2026-09-01
"Enrollment was too low."; 27 of 246 registered studies
Show the evidence
Trial
NCT00121875
terminated; "Enrollment was too low."
NCT00174187
terminated; "See termination reason in detailed description."
NCT00174291
terminated; "See termination reason in detailed description."
NCT00503698
terminated; "See termination reason in detailed description"
NCT00511329
terminated; "PI left the institution"
NCT00555009
terminated; "See termination reason in detailed description."
14 further recorded trials
NCT00572156
terminated; "The study was prematurely terminated due to strategic reasons."
NCT00625872
terminated; "The study terminated on 19-Jan-2011 due to insufficient recruitment of patients. No safety reasons contributed to the termination of the study."
NCT00630487
terminated; "See termination reason in detailed description."
NCT00638053
terminated; "See reason for termination in detailed description."
NCT00675714
terminated; "At the request of the study site, this study has been closed and access to study-related data is unavailable. We are unable to submit the results-data."
NCT00737113
terminated; "Study was terminated early due to low accrual."
NCT00748969
terminated; "Insufficient recruitment."
NCT00870220
terminated; "Poor accrual"
NCT01067352
terminated; "This study was discontinued prematurely due to difficulty in participant recruitment."
NCT01237340
terminated; "The Sponsor voluntarily terminated this trial because compliance to strict Good Clinical Practice (GCP) requirements was not ensured - No safety concerns"
NCT01243892
terminated; "The study was closed due to the slow enrollment rate."
NCT01397500
terminated; "Recruitment problems due to change of patient population at site."
Which of adult height standard deviation, adverse drug reaction and adverse events did Somatropin's trials measure?
adult height standard deviation, adverse drug reaction and adverse events lead 40 outcome terms across Somatropin's trials. ClinicalTrials.gov · 2026-09-01
Interpretation height velocity, testosterone levels, one or more drug related adverse events, adult height standard deviation, total fat mass and gh receptor signaling follow.
Show the evidence
who died
1
height standard deviation
1
final height
1
height velocity
1
testosterone levels
1
one or more drug related adverse events
1
14 more recorded rows
adult height standard deviation
1
total fat mass
1
gh receptor signaling
1
peak vo2
1
treatment related adverse events
1
insulin sensitivity
1
height
1
treatment emergent adverse events
1
frequency of adverse events
1
safety and tolerability
1
adverse events
1
mature oocytes retrieved
1
predicted height
1
metaphase ii oocytes retrieved
1
recorded 2026-09-01 · last checked 2026-09-04
Q7
Which of Somatropin's 16 ongoing trials reports first?
Height Velocity; Near final height (NFH) standard deviation score (SDS) measured in scores; latest 2036-12
Show the evidence
Trial
NCT03878446
"A Research Study in Children Born Small and Who Stayed Small. Treatment is Somapacitan Once a Week Compared to Norditropin® Once a Day"; n 62; "Height Velocity"; 2026-12-23
NCT03972345
"Influence of Adherence to Growth Hormone Therapy (GHT) With Norditropin® on Near Final Height in Patients With Growth Hormone Deficiency (GHD) and Born Small for Gestational Age (SGA)"; n 750; "Near final height (NFH) standard deviation score (SDS) measured in scores"; 2031-06-30
NCT04121780
"Growth Hormone Replacement Therapy for Retried Professional Football Players"; n 42; "Cognitive functions- Working Memory"; 2026-09
NCT04867317
"Growth Hormone Replacement Therapy in Veterans With Mild Traumatic Brain Injury (mTBI) and Adult Growth Hormone Deficiency (AGHD)"; n 172; "QoL-AGHDA (Quality of Life-Assessment of Adult Growth Hormone in Adults)"; 2029-09-30
NCT05308927
"French Registry of Children Treated With Norditropin® for Short Stature Associated With Noonan Syndrome"; n 221; "Change in height standard deviation score"; 2028-03-17
NCT05330325
"A Research Study to Compare Somapacitan Once a Week With Norditropin® Once a Day in Children Who Need Help to Grow"; n 412; "Height velocity reported separately for small for gestational age (SGA), Turner syndrome (TS), Noonan syndrome (NS) and idiopathic short stature (ISS)"; 2027-10-29
10 further recorded trials
NCT05355272
"Growth Hormone Replacement in Veterans With GWI and AGHD (GWIT)"; n 20; "Change in truncal fat mass from baseline to six months"; 2027-07-01
NCT05382637
"Growth Hormone in a Patient With a Dominant-Negative GHR Mutation"; n 1; "Growth Hormone Dose"; 2028-09-01
NCT05690386
"A Trial to Investigate Different Doses of Lonapegsomatropin Compared to Somatropin in Individuals With Turner Syndrome"; n 48; "Annualized Height Velocity (AHV) (cm/year)"; 2027-12
NCT06382155
"A Phase 2 Study of Vosoritide in Children With Idiopathic Short Stature"; n 100; "Change from baseline in Annualized Growth Velocity (AGV)"; 2036-12
NCT07036003
"Recombinant Human Growth Hormone (rHGH) for Knee Osteoarthritis (KORR)"; n 34; "Feasibility of the medication administration"; 2029-01
NCT07126288
"Evaluating the Efficacy and Safety of GB08 Injection in Pediatric Patients With Growth Hormone Deficiency"; n 268; "PhaseII-Comparison of annualized height velocity at 24 weeks"; 2028-12-23
NCT07226089
"Comparison of Weekly Somatrogon to Daily Genotropin in Children Born Small for Gestational Age or With Idiopathic Short Stature."; n 254; "Annual Height Velocity"; 2028-01
NCT07450001
"A Study of GenSci134 in Children With Growth Hormone Deficiency (PGHD)"; n 128; "Phase Ib: Treatment Emergent Adverse Events （TEAEs）"; 2028-12-31
NCT07450053
"A Study (Phase 1b/2) of GenSci134 in Children With Idiopathic Short Stature (ISS)"; n 128; "Phase Ib: Incidence of Treatment Emergent Adverse Events （TEAEs）"; 2028-12-31
NCT07568574
"Impact of Medically Supervised Performance-Enhancing Substances (PES) on Elite Athletes"; n 60; "The incidence and severity of Treatment-related adverse events (TRAEs), including adverse events (AEs) and serious adverse events (SAEs), as assessed by the study physicians from baseline to 5.5 years after enrollment."; 2033-03-01
recorded 2026-09-01 · last checked 2026-09-04
Q8
Which 117 trials of Somatropin posted no result?
Posted no result
117 of 117 completed trials
Registrations
NCT00570011, NCT00931476, NCT00490191, NCT00294164, NCT00006143 and NCT01563926, and 111 more
Completion dates
oldest 1998-12; newest 2023-07-10
Show the evidence
Trial
NCT00570011
1998-12
NCT00931476
2000-06-08
NCT00490191
2001-07
NCT00294164
2002-05
NCT00006143
2002-07
NCT01563926
2002-10-10
14 further recorded trials
NCT01562834
2002-12-01
NCT00294918
2003-02
NCT01502124
2003-03-05
NCT01734447
2003-04-30
NCT01734486
2003-05-21
NCT00406926
2003-08
NCT01518062
2003-09
NCT00254514
2003-10
NCT00567385
2004-03-22
NCT01518036
2004-04-11
NCT00262249
2004-05
NCT02693522
2004-12
NCT00470002
2005-01
NCT00519558
2005-01-24
Q9
At the median, Somatropin's trials enrolled 62 people — anything larger?
Median enrolment
62
Largest enrolment
65205
Registered trials counted
245
Q10
What do 3371 spontaneous reports say about Somatropin — and not say?
These are reports people sent to a regulator. They do not show the medicine caused the reaction. Nobody counted how many people took the medicine and reported nothing. The same event can be reported more than once, and many reports are incomplete. News coverage, lawsuits and new warnings change how often people report. A count is not a rate and not a risk.
Somatropin appears in spontaneous reports to regulators. Across the 10 most-reported reaction terms, 3371 reaction mentions were counted: headache 1278; injection site pain 583; insulin-like growth factor increased 250; scoliosis 236. open-targets-adr · CHEMBL1201621 · 2026-06-24
Show the evidence
headache
1278
injection site pain
583
insulin-like growth factor increased
250
scoliosis
236
growth retardation
220
sleep apnoea syndrome
189
4 more recorded rows
insulin-like growth factor decreased
161
neoplasm recurrence
158
craniopharyngioma
155
wrong technique in device usage process
141
recorded 2026-06-24 · last checked 2026-09-04
Q11
Somatropin and CYP450 and Cytochrome P450: shared by which compounds?
CYP450 and Cytochrome P450 appear in Somatropin's recorded interaction sentences, 4 in all. openfda-label+europepmc · 2026-08-04
Interpretation drug_interactions
Show the evidence
Cytochrome P450
drug_interactions
Patients treated with glucocorticoid replacement for previously diagnosed hypoadrenalism may require an increase in their maintenance doses ( 7.1 , 7.2 ). • Glucocorticoid Replacement: Should be carefully adjusted ( 7.2 ) • Cytochrome P450-Metabolized Drugs: Monitor carefully if used with somatropin ( 7.3 ) • Oral Estrogen: Larger doses of somatropin may be required in women ( 7.4 ) • Insulin…
drug_interactions
7.3 Cytochrome P450-Metabolized Drugs Limited published data indicate that somatropin treatment increases cytochrome P450 (CYP450)-mediated antipyrine clearance in man.
CYP450
drug_interactions
These data suggest that somatropin administration may alter the clearance of compounds known to be metabolized by CYP450 liver enzymes (e.g., corticosteroids, sex steroids, anticonvulsants, cyclosporine).
drug_interactions
Careful monitoring is advisable when somatropin is administered in combination with other drugs known to be metabolized by CYP450 liver enzymes.
recorded 2026-08-04 · last checked 2026-09-04
Q12
Was Somatropin studied with exercise?
exercise is named in Somatropin's label sentences: "Statistically significant increases in LBM, bodyweight (vs baseline and placebo) and work output (vs placebo) during treadmill exercise (a measure of physical function), and a significant decrease in body fat (vs baseline and placebo) occurred in similar patients who received somatropin for 12…" openfda-label+europepmc · 2026-08-04
1 recorded statement; exercise
Show the evidence
exercise
Statistically significant increases in LBM, bodyweight (vs baseline and placebo) and work output (vs placebo) during treadmill exercise (a measure of physical function), and a significant decrease in body fat (vs baseline and placebo) occurred in similar patients who received somatropin for 12 weeks in a large double-blind randomised trial.
recorded 2026-08-04 · last checked 2026-09-04
Where it is registeredIdentifiers, relations and other names
ChEMBL ATC CC BY-SA · ClinicalTrials.gov — US Government work · Europe PMC — metadata only, under the recorded legal gate · Open Targets 26.06 — CC0 · derived from this page's own recorded fields; no external licence · mixed register set; per-register licences in docs/specs/corpus-20k-sources.md · openFDA / DailyMed — US Government work
✗ required summary fields resolved: 5 required field(s) not terminal: Why people use it, Best-supported result, Most important common problem, Biggest unanswered question, Human evidence
✓ public claims reviewed: 0 reviewed claim(s); drafts are never rendered
✓ source coverage passed: 9 source rows
✓ no critical contamination: no quarantine open
✓ canonical metadata passed: slug and display name present
✓ no raw internal fields: enforced by the copy-contract test over the rendered page
This is a record of evidence. It is not medical advice, and it does not say this substance suits you. Nothing here says any substance on RNAWiki is appropriate for a child.