ContextUnderstanding real-world prescribing of GH may help improve treatment of eligible patients.ObjectiveOverall: to assess real-world effectiveness and safety of GH (Norditropin). This analysis: to compare clinical characteristics of GH-treated children in the United States and Europe.DesignThe American Norditropin Studies: Web-Enabled Research Program (ANSWER; 2002 to 2016, United States) and the NordiNet International Outcome Study (NordiNet IOS; 2006 to 2016, Europe) were multicenter longitudinal observational cohort studies.SettingData were recorded in 207 (United States) and 469 (Europe) clinics.ParticipantsPatients with GH deficiency, Turner syndrome, Noonan syndrome, idiopathic short stature, Prader–Willi syndrome, or born small for gestational age, who commenced GH treatment aged <1 year.InterventionGH was prescribed by treating physicians according to local practice.Main Outcomes MeasuresBaseline data and drug doses were recorded. Data on effectiveness and safety were collected.ResultsANSWER had 19,847 patients in the full analysis set (FAS; patients with birthdate information and one or more GH prescription) and 12,660 in the effectiveness analysis set (EAS; GH-naive patients with valid baseline information). NordiNet IOS had 17,711 (FAS) and 11,967 (EAS). Boys accounted for 69% (ANSWER) and 57% (NordiNet IOS). Treatment start occurred later than optimal to improve growth. The proportion of boys treated was generally larger, children were older at treatment start, and GH doses were higher in the United States vs Europe. No new safety signals of concern were noted.ConclusionsIn most indications, more boys than girls were treated, and treatment started late. Earlier diagnosis of GH-related disorders is needed. The data support a favorable benefit–risk profile of GH therapy in children.

Context GH treatment has a generally good safety profile; however, concerns of increased mortality risk in adulthood have been raised. Objective Assessing the long-term safety of GH treatment in clinical practice. Design Two multicenter longitudinal observational studies: NordiNet® International Outcome Study (2006–2016, Europe) and ANSWER Program (2002–2016, USA). Setting Data collected from 676 clinics. Patients Pediatric patients treated with GH, classified into three risk groups based on diagnosis. Intervention Daily GH treatment. Main Outcome Measures Incidence rates (events/1000 patient-years) of adverse drug reactions (ADRs), serious adverse events (SAEs), and serious ADRs, and their relationship to the GH dose. Results The combined studies comprised 37,702 patients (68.4% in low-risk, 27.5% in intermediate-risk, and 4.1% in high-risk groups) and 130,476 patient-years of exposure. The low-risk group included children born small for gestational age (SGA; 20.7%) and non-SGA children (e.g. with GH deficiency; 79.3%). Average GH dose up to the first adverse event (AE) decreased with increasing risk category. Patients without AEs received higher average GH doses than patients with &gt;1 AE across all groups. A significant inverse relationship with GH dose was shown for ADR and SAE incidence rates in the low-risk group (P = 0.0029 and P = 0.0003, respectively) and the non-SGA subgroup (P = 0.0022 and P = 0.0015, respectively), and for SAEs in the intermediate- and high-risk groups (P = 0.0017 and P = 0.0480, respectively). Conclusions We observed no indication of increased mortality risk nor AE incidence related to GH dose in any risk group.

<b><i>Introduction:</i></b> Few data exist on long-term growth hormone (GH) treatment in patients with Noonan syndrome (NS). <b><i>Objective:</i></b> To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of GH treatment in NS in clinical practice. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> Height gain, near-adult height (NAH), and safety were assessed in 2 complementary non-interventional studies: NordiNet® IOS and ANSWER. The safety analysis included 412 patients, and the effectiveness analysis included 84 GH-treated patients (male, <i>n</i> = 67) with ≥4 years’ height standard deviation score (HSDS) data. HSDS was determined using national reference (NR) and NS-specific (NSS) data. <b><i>Results:</i></b> The mean (SD) baseline age was 8.38 (3.57) years; HSDS, −2.76 (1.03); GH dose, 41.6 (11.1) µg/kg/day. The mean (SD) HSDS increase from baseline (ΔHSDS) was 0.49 (0.37) (first year), 0.79 (0.58) (second year), and 1.01 (0.60) (third year) (NR). The mean (SD) HSDS at year 3 was −1.66 (1.00) (NR; 1.06 [1.12] [NSS]). Twenty-four patients achieved NAH. The mean (SD) NAH SDS (NR) was −1.51 (0.60) (154.90 [3.21] cm) in females and −1.79 (1.09) (165.61 [7.19] cm) in males; 70.8% (17/24) had NAH SDS ≥ −2. Adverse drug reactions and GH-unrelated serious adverse events (<i>n</i> = 34) were reported in 22/412 (5.3%) patients. Four neoplasms and 3 cases of scoliosis were reported; no cardiovascular adverse events occurred. <b><i>Conclusions:</i></b> GH-treated children with NS achieved substantial height gain during the first 3 years of follow-up. Overall, 24 patients achieved NAH, with 70.8% having NAH SDS ≥ –2. There was no evidence to support a higher prevalence of neoplasm, or cardiac or other comorbidities.

The attentional impairments induced due to cortical cholinergic dysfunction may be ameliorated by cholinergic treatments such as cholinesterase inhibitors. In addition, 5-HT(1A) receptors and the cortical cholinergic system exert balanced opposition in regulating attentional performance in the rat. Blockade of 5-HT(1A) receptors may be useful to treat some aspects of attentional dysfunction in AD.

Background Growth hormone (GH) deficiency is common in patients with Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) and leads to short adult stature. The current study assessed clinical outcomes based on real-world observational data in pediatric patients with PWS who were treated with GH. Methods Data from patients previously naïve to treatment with GH who began therapy with somatropin were collected from 2006 to 2016 in the observational American Norditropin® Studies: Web-Enabled Research (ANSWER) Program® and NordiNet® International Outcome Study. Variables affecting change from baseline in height standard deviation scores (HSDS; n = 129) and body mass index standard deviation scores (BMI SDS; n = 98) were determined. Results Patients included in both HSDS and BMI SDS analyses were treated with a mean GH dose of 0.03 mg/kg/d (SD, 0.01 mg/kg/d). Results from the HSDS analysis revealed that baseline age and years on treatment had a significant impact on the change in HSDS. In the BMI SDS analysis, longer GH treatment time led to a greater change in BMI SDS from baseline, and patients with a higher BMI at the start of treatment had a greater decrease in BMI over time. Conclusions GH is effective in the management of children with PWS. Earlier treatment resulted in a greater gain in height, and a longer treatment period resulted in better outcomes for both height and BMI. Trial registration This study was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT01009905) on November 9, 2009.