Somatropin for growth hormone therapy, June 2021
Page last updated: 5 November 2021
Drug utilisation sub-committee (DUSC)
June 2021
Abstract
Purpose
To analyse the utilisation of growth hormone, somatropin as requested by DUSC at its February 2021 meeting.
Date of listing on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS)
Somatropin was listed on the standard PBS Program on 1 September 2015.
Data Source / methodology
Data extracted from the PBS and Authorities database maintained by Department of Health, processed by Services Australia was used for analyses.
Key Findings
- There was an average of 2,087 patients treated with somatropin each year. Following restriction changes in 2019 and 2020, this increased to an average of 2,948 patients treated with somatropin each year.
- There was an average of 6,170 somatropin prescriptions dispensed each year. Following restriction changes in 2019 and 2020, this increased to an average of 10,517 prescriptions dispensed each year.
- The most common age group in patients beginning somatropin treatment are those aged between 10-14 years old with 53.2% of initiating patients being male.
- When accounting for treatment breaks, the median treatment duration was 44.6 months (95% confidence interval 42.1 to 46.9 months).
- Paediatric patients were most commonly treated with somatropin for short stature and slow growth whilst adult patients were most commonly treated with somatropin for severe growth hormone deficiency.
