The Many Faces Of Human Growth Hormone
By Bob Roehr 2002/2003
The story of human growth hormone (HGH) is colorful by drug industry standards. HGH, also known as somatropin, was first used to treat stunted growth in children. Later it was used in people with HIV disease to treat the gauntness of AIDS-related wasting and, more recently, the fat accumulations associated with lipodystrophy. HGH also may play a role in immune reconstitution.
Outside the field of HIV, this very expensive therapy has multiple indications. Unapproved uses for hGH run the gamut from muscle enhancer to purported cure-all. Not surprisingly, the man-made hormone does not always perform as desired.
Yet new research into how HGH may fit into the future of HIV disease management warrants another look at this unusual drug.
History
Growth hormone is a protein produced by the pituitary gland, a small peanut-shaped "master gland" located at the base of the brain. The pituitary gland not only controls physical growth, but also regulates other glands throughout the body that produce hormones such as testosterone and estrogen.
Scientists first began to learn the secrets of growth hormone by studying and treating children who did not grow normally. Researchers found that injecting ground-up pituitary glands taken from cadavers into the children led to their normal growth and development. The process was limited by the supply of pituitary glands, and the procedure carried a risk of transmitting slowly developing viral infections such as Creutzfeldt-Jakob diseasea variant of which is popularly known as "mad cow disease." Ongoing therapy required the harvesting and pooling of glands from large numbers of cadavers.
The solution was genetic engineering, which became a cornerstone for the creation of the modern biotechnology industry. For hGH, the process involves inserting a gene into laboratory cell lines to produce the desired protein, growing huge numbers of these cells, then purifying out the protein they produce for subsequent human use. The insertion of genes into cells is known as recombinant gene technology. The first version of recombinant human growth hormone (sometimes called rhGH) was made by Genentech of South San Francisco, California, and approved for sale by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in October 1985. Today several companies produce and market recombinant hGH under different brand names.
Recombinant technology solved the problems of disease transmission and availability, but not of cost. HGH is extremely expensive -- from several thousand dollars per year for limited supplemental use, to about $35,000 per year for a child who completely lacks the protein. The huge cost (and profit) of making the complex molecule has encouraged manufacturers to find other uses for hGH beyond the initial indication for children with stunted growth.
Pituitary tumors, chronic illness, side effects of therapy for other medical conditions, and processes associated with aging all can contribute to reduced pituitary function and decreased production of growth hormone. Expansion of the HGH - worldhgh.com market to treat such conditions was a natural outcome, and the FDA has approved label indications for new uses as manufacturers have submitted evidence of success from clinical trials.
At the same time, some proponents of hGH paint a dazzling but false portrait of the substance. Many sites on the Internet tout hGH as a panacea for everything from losing weight to halting the aging process. Some bodybuilders use growth hormone, often illegally, to rapidly increase muscle mass. Claims have proliferated though evidence to support them is scant. Growth hormone can be very beneficial for correcting a deficiency, but having too much of it does not necessarily bring added benefit -- though it does increase the risk of side effects. Nevertheless, illicit use of HGH appears to be widespread.
By Bob Roehr 2002/2003
The story of human growth hormone (HGH) is colorful by drug industry standards. HGH, also known as somatropin, was first used to treat stunted growth in children. Later it was used in people with HIV disease to treat the gauntness of AIDS-related wasting and, more recently, the fat accumulations associated with lipodystrophy. HGH also may play a role in immune reconstitution.
Outside the field of HIV, this very expensive therapy has multiple indications. Unapproved uses for hGH run the gamut from muscle enhancer to purported cure-all. Not surprisingly, the man-made hormone does not always perform as desired.
Yet new research into how HGH may fit into the future of HIV disease management warrants another look at this unusual drug.
History
Growth hormone is a protein produced by the pituitary gland, a small peanut-shaped "master gland" located at the base of the brain. The pituitary gland not only controls physical growth, but also regulates other glands throughout the body that produce hormones such as testosterone and estrogen.
Scientists first began to learn the secrets of growth hormone by studying and treating children who did not grow normally. Researchers found that injecting ground-up pituitary glands taken from cadavers into the children led to their normal growth and development. The process was limited by the supply of pituitary glands, and the procedure carried a risk of transmitting slowly developing viral infections such as Creutzfeldt-Jakob diseasea variant of which is popularly known as "mad cow disease." Ongoing therapy required the harvesting and pooling of glands from large numbers of cadavers.
The solution was genetic engineering, which became a cornerstone for the creation of the modern biotechnology industry. For hGH, the process involves inserting a gene into laboratory cell lines to produce the desired protein, growing huge numbers of these cells, then purifying out the protein they produce for subsequent human use. The insertion of genes into cells is known as recombinant gene technology. The first version of recombinant human growth hormone (sometimes called rhGH) was made by Genentech of South San Francisco, California, and approved for sale by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in October 1985. Today several companies produce and market recombinant hGH under different brand names.
Recombinant technology solved the problems of disease transmission and availability, but not of cost. HGH is extremely expensive -- from several thousand dollars per year for limited supplemental use, to about $35,000 per year for a child who completely lacks the protein. The huge cost (and profit) of making the complex molecule has encouraged manufacturers to find other uses for hGH beyond the initial indication for children with stunted growth.
Pituitary tumors, chronic illness, side effects of therapy for other medical conditions, and processes associated with aging all can contribute to reduced pituitary function and decreased production of growth hormone. Expansion of the HGH - worldhgh.com market to treat such conditions was a natural outcome, and the FDA has approved label indications for new uses as manufacturers have submitted evidence of success from clinical trials.
At the same time, some proponents of hGH paint a dazzling but false portrait of the substance. Many sites on the Internet tout hGH as a panacea for everything from losing weight to halting the aging process. Some bodybuilders use growth hormone, often illegally, to rapidly increase muscle mass. Claims have proliferated though evidence to support them is scant. Growth hormone can be very beneficial for correcting a deficiency, but having too much of it does not necessarily bring added benefit -- though it does increase the risk of side effects. Nevertheless, illicit use of HGH appears to be widespread.
