Daily injections of growth hormone (GH) as replacement therapy in GH-deficient (GHD) patients may cause poor compliance and inconvenience. C-terminal peptide-modified human GH (MOD-4023) has been developed for once-weekly administration in GHD adults and children. In the present study, the pharmacokinetics (PK) and pharmacodynamics (PD) of a single subcutaneous dose of MOD-4023 were evaluated in healthy Caucasian and Japanese adults, using a phase 1 double-blind, vehicle-controlled, randomized study design. The study was conducted in 42 healthy Japanese (n = 21) and Caucasian (n = 21) men receiving either MOD-4023 at a dose of 2.5, 7.5, or 15 mg or vehicle. In the 2.5-and 7.5-mg cohorts, no differences in mean MOD-4023 serum concentration were found between Japanese and Caucasian subjects. A comparison of PK parameters in the 15-mg group suggests a slower absorption rate of MOD-4023 in Japanese subjects. PD analysis showed no apparent differences in IGF-1 and IGFBP-3 plasma concentrations between the Japanese and Caucasian subjects and indicated that a dose of 15 mg achieved the maximal effect in both ethnic groups. MOD-4023 demonstrated a favorable safety profile and local tolerance following single-dose subcutaneous administration. This study provides additional support for the development of MOD-4023 as a long-acting human growth hormone formulation for once-weekly administration. Keywords insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), growth hormone deficiency (GHD), weekly GH, Japanese, MOD-4023Growth hormone deficiency (GHD) leads to inadequate levels of circulating insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) and, in children, to abnormal linear growth. GHD in adults results in decreased lean body mass, increased fat mass, weakness, reductions in exercise capacity, muscle mass/strength, cardiac performance, bone density, and neuropsychological disturbances.
1,2Growth hormone (GH) replacement therapy has been the standard of care for more than 50 years in tens of thousands of patients and has proved to be safe and effective.3,4 The majority of currently available human growth hormone (hGH) products require daily subcutaneous injections to maintain hGH blood levels within the effective therapeutic window. The main therapeutic aim of growth hormone treatment in children with GHD is to enable short children to achieve normal height, whereas the goal of replacement therapy in adults is to correct the metabolic, functional, and psychological abnormalities associated with adult GHD. The recommended starting dose of GH in young men and women is 0.2 and 0.3 mg/day, respectively (or 0