In recent years, there has been a high prevalence of several disorders because of a deficiency of the growth hormone in the patient population has increased its demand in the market.
The Human Growth Hormone market in the US is expected to grow at a slow pace and post a CAGR of 3.86 percent during the 2014-2019 forecast period.
What is the Human Growth Hormone?
Human growth hormone regulates the growth of an individual, increases muscle mass, acts on the kidneys to restore water in the body, maintains blood glucose levels, strengthens skin and bones, and stimulates lipolysis by breaking down fat molecules into free fatty acids, leading to insulin resistance by increasing the levels of glucose in the blood.
The hormone has a diabetogenic role in stimulating the breakdown of glycogen to glucose and mediates growth and protein synthesis by inhibiting apoptosis and enhancing cellular proliferation. Human growth hormone increases the cellular uptake of amino acids from the blood by triggering the production of IGFS in cells, especially cartilage and skeletal muscle cells, which are then directed toward protein synthesis
Increased Demand for Human Growth Hormone
Apart from treating patients with growth hormone deficiency, human growth hormone is also used to treat patients with various disorders such as Noonan and Turner syndromes and children born small for gestational age. Noonan syndrome is an autosomal dominant disorder characterized by the presence of cardiac defects, uncommon facial features, and short stature. Turner syndrome is a genetic condition characterized in most cases by short stature.
These symptoms arise because of the unresponsiveness of the patient toward endogenously produced growth hormone. Infants born small for gestational age are shorter in height, or weigh less, or both when compared with other children of the same gestational age. Therefore, high incidence and prevalence of these diseases increases the demand for human growth hormone in the market.
Advances in Drug Delivery Techniques
An improvement in drug delivery devices leads to a decrease in complications associated with drug administration, thereby ensuring better patient compliance. For instance, NovoFine needles, developed by Novo Nordisk, are the thinnest needles available in the market. NovoFine 30G needles are 30 gauge thick and 8 mm in length, while conventional vaccination needles are usually 23-25 gauge thick and 15-31 mm long.
These needles are user-friendly and associated with less pain, bruising, and bleeding at the site of injection. They are electro-polished, ultra-sharp, and silicone-coated needles consisting of tapered endings to reduce discomfort during injection.
The development of improved drug delivery devices, such as NordiPenMate, results in increased patient compliance. NordiPenMate is used along with NordiPen. The device contains a needle hider, which hides the needle during drug administration, thereby decreasing the patient’s anxiety and fear associated with injections.
Reformulation of Approved Drugs
Drugs administered via injection often result in patient noncompliance and poor adherence to the treatment regimen. This drawback is more prominent, especially among the pediatric population, during the long-term administration of drugs via injections.
Therefore, the reformulation of drugs with the elimination of or reduction in the use of injections for drug delivery is expected to increase patient compliance. For instance, Biopartners has developed a sustained-release formulation of somatropin that requires a once-a-week administration compared with the currently approved drugs, which require once-daily injections.
