What Are My Growth Hormone Treatment Options?

How Omnitrope^® works

Diagnosis is just the beginning of your growth journey. By now, you’ve probably got plenty of questions about your treatment options. Get started by looking at all your options below and speaking to your doctor about which one may work for you.

Omnitrope is taken via daily injection and there are two administration options available - a liquid-formulation pen, and a vial and syringe.¹

The information below should help you to determine which option will best fit your needs. But don’t worry! If you have further questions about administering Omnitrope, your nurse trainer will walk you through each step of the injection process, and also show you how to safely store and dispose of used needles. 

Convenient Injection Pens

Injection pens may be a good option if you or your child are uncomfortable around traditional needles. 

The pen may also be a good choice if you would prefer not to mix your medication at home. The ready-to-use liquid cartridge eliminates the need to reconstitute or mix with a liquid.

• With flexible dosing to fit your needs, our pens are available in 5 mg and 10 mg
• The liquid cartridge stays stable for 28 days after the first injection*
• Once a new cartridge is inserted, the pen must be primed before use

Vial and Syringe (Reconstituted Lyophilized Powder)

If you choose the vial and syringe option, you will need to learn how to safely mix your medication at home. Your nurse trainer will be able to demonstrate this with you during your injection training session.

• Each 5.8 mg vial of Omnitrope comes with a 1.14 mL vial of bacteriostatic water preserved with benzyl alcohol to mix in a solution before injecting
• Three-week stability once reconstituted or mixed with liquid^†

Reference

^{1. Omnitrope [package insert]. Princeton, NJ: Sandoz Inc; 2019.}
 

^{*Cartridge must be stored or refrigerated from 36°F to 46°F.
†Vial must be stored in the refrigerator at 36°F to 46°F.}

INDICATIONS

Omnitrope is a prescription medicine that contains human growth hormone and is used to treat:

• Children with growth failure due to growth hormone deficiency (GHD), Prader-Willi Syndrome, Small for Gestational Age, Turner Syndrome, and Idiopathic Short Stature
• Adults with either adult onset or childhood onset GHD

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION

Who should not take Omnitrope^®?

Omnitrope should not be used by children or adults that have:

• a critical illness caused by certain types of heart or stomach surgery, accidental trauma,  or a sudden and severe breathing problem (respiratory failure)
• Prader-Willi syndrome who are severely overweight or have a history of breathing problems including sleep apnea
• cancer or other tumors
• allergies to growth hormone or any of the ingredients in the medicine
• certain types of eye problems caused by diabetes
• closed bone growth plates

What should patients tell their healthcare provider before taking Omnitrope?

Patients should tell their healthcare provider about all of their medical conditions, including if they:

• have had heart or stomach surgery, trauma, or serious breathing problems
• have or have had cancer or any tumor
• have diabetes
• take any prescription and non-prescription medicines, steroids, vitamins, or herbal supplements
• are pregnant or breastfeeding, or plan to become pregnant or breastfeed

What are the most common side effects of Omnitrope?

• local reactions at the injection site (such as pain, numbness, redness and swelling)
• headaches
• swelling associated with fluid retention
• pain in joints and muscle pain
• carpal tunnel syndrome
• tingling and numbness
• high blood sugar (hyperglycemia/diabetes) and sugar in your urine (glucosuria)
• unusual skin sensations
• low levels of thyroid hormone (hypothyroidism)

Other possible side effects of Omnitrope are:

• return of tumor or cancerous growths
• headaches, changes in vision, nausea or vomiting (these may be symptoms of raised pressure in the brain which requires immediate medical attention)
• hip and knee pain or a limp in children, that can be a sign of slipped capital femoral epiphysis
• worsening of pre-existing curvature of the spine in children (scoliosis)
• increased ear infections and ear disorders in children with Turner syndrome; check for cardiovascular disorders (hypertension, stroke)
• intense pain and tenderness in the abdomen as consequence of an inflammation of the pancreas (pancreatitis)
• gasping syndrome (decreased rate of breathing) in children from high levels of benzyl alcohol (an inactive ingredient)
• Increased mortality in patients with Prader Willi and acute illness

Please see full Prescribing Information for Omnitrope

You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch or call 1-800-FDA-1088. To report SUSPECTED ADVERSE REACTIONS, contact Sandoz Inc. at 1-800-525-8747 or FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088 or www.fda.gov/medwatch