Somatropin (HGH)
What it is & what research shows
Study example availableSomatropin is recombinant human growth hormone (HGH). It replaces growth hormone and stimulates growth-related processes, including IGF-1 production. Genotropin is one branded preparation. Genotropin is used for adult growth-hormone deficiency and specified childhood growth disorders. Indications differ between products. [1.1]
One selected study: A controlled study observed older men for six baseline months, then compared growth-hormone treatment with no treatment for six months. 21 healthy men aged 61–81 with low IGF-I participated: 12 received growth hormone and nine received no treatment. For six months, 12 men received approximately 0.03 mg/kg of biosynthetic human growth hormone by subcutaneous injection three times weekly. Nine men received no treatment. These are the studied exposures in this older-men study, not a recommended regimen. In treated men, lean mass increased 8.8 percent, fat mass decreased 14.4 percent and lumbar-spine bone density increased 1.6 percent. Forearm and upper-femur bone density did not significantly change. Skin thickness increased, but the reported result was not statistically significant. Untreated men had no significant changes in these measures. No author-stated limitations or adverse-event results were available in the abstract. The comparator received no treatment; random allocation was not described. [2.1]
Sources & reading scope
- [1.1] Genotropin prescribing informationDrug label · indications, warnings and pharmacokinetics
- [2.1] Effects of human growth hormone in men over 60 years old.Human · Abstract summarized · not a full-paper review
Evidence summarized on PED Evidence
2 completed summaries
2 human-study reports
0 randomized-trial candidates
0 safety-topic reports
Landmark reading
Editorial selections, not an effectiveness ranking or recommendation.
Filter, save and compare Somatropin studies →More about Somatropin: identity, safety & reference details
Also known as human growth hormone · recombinant human growth hormone · rhGH · HGH
Start with the research
An outcome-specific synthesis has not been prepared for this compound. This is a coverage gap, not evidence that it has no effect.
Open studies and trial records- Uses & research
Genotropin is used for adult growth-hormone deficiency and specified childhood growth disorders. Indications differ between products. [1]
- Known half-life
Genotropin: about 3 hours after an injection under the skin in adults with GH deficiency. The label also reports about 0.4 hours intravenously in healthy adults. These values do not describe all long-acting GH products. [1]
Half-life describes how quickly the measured drug concentration falls by half. It does not set a dosing interval.- Evidence & important limits
Replacement research does not establish general enhancement benefits. The label includes warnings for glucose intolerance, fluid retention, intracranial hypertension and neoplasms. [1]
Safety & evidence boundaries
Replacement research does not establish general enhancement benefits. The label includes warnings for glucose intolerance, fluid retention, intracranial hypertension and neoplasms.
Explore safety questions by system
These are literature filters, not claims that this compound causes each effect. A keyword match is not a confirmed adverse reaction.
Identity, names & formulations
Canonical compound: Somatropin · somatropin
Searchable names: human growth hormone, recombinant human growth hormone, rhGH, HGH
Names share a parent research page. Different esters, salts, routes and brands are not assumed to have the same half-life, indication or exposure.
Combination evidence stays attached to the studied combination. It is not automatically assigned to each ingredient.
Understand the evidence types
Read the model and design first, then the population, outcome and limitations. These categories describe evidence, not a best-compound ranking.
- Randomized human trials
- Compare assigned interventions. Randomization does not by itself establish low bias or relevance to every population.
- Controlled human studies
- Use a comparison group; allocation and confounding still matter.
- Prospective human research
- Follows participants forward. It may be observational or interventional, so this is not a separate quality grade.
- Observational human research
- Describes associations. Confounding can explain differences.
- Case reports and series
- Useful for unusual events and safety signals, not reliable rates or effect sizes.
- Animal research
- Can test biology and function in a living model. Human exposure, benefit and safety remain separate questions.
- Cell and tissue research
- Tests responses in a preparation, including human-derived cells. It is not a human participant trial.
- Mechanistic and computational evidence
- Helps explain or predict a pathway; predictions need experimental and clinical testing.
- Anecdotal reports
- Self-reported experiences can generate questions. Product identity, selection bias and other interventions may be uncontrolled.
Systematic reviews synthesize studies and depend on their quality. Preprint status and abstract versus full-paper reading are separate labels. Citation popularity measures attention, not reliability. A study summary is not a formal quality appraisal.
Sources for this profile
- 1. Genotropin prescribing information Drug label · indications, warnings and pharmacokinetics
Reference facts checked 2026-09-16. Source scope is listed above; this is not a formal quality appraisal. See each label for full prescribing information.
Study model describes the source. Confidence depends on methods, replication, population and outcome.
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Somatropin study summaries
Human-first reading order. Intervention candidates are distinguished from background mentions in the library.