Prescriptions for growth hormone drugs, mistakenly known as "height injections," rose 81% in four years. Growth hormone drugs should be used for patients with hormone deficiency or Turner syndrome, but some parents sought them to increase their children's height, stirring controversy. The Ministery of Food and Drug Safety said on the 1st it will curb misuse of growth hormone drugs and strengthen safety management.
According to data from the Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service (HIRA), prescriptions for growth hormone drugs increased from 895,011 in 2020 to 1,621,154 in 2024. Growth hormone is produced in the pituitary gland and helps bone cell growth. Medicines that supplement this are growth hormone drugs. When healthy children receive growth hormone drugs, the effect is unclear and they may experience pain, bleeding, and bruising at the injection site. It can affect the joints and spine.
The Ministery of Food and Drug Safety decided to apply a risk management plan to growth hormone drugs. Twenty-one items from eight corporations, including LG Chem, Dong-A ST, Daewoong Pharmaceutical, and Novo Nordisk, are subject to the plan. Because patients self-administer growth hormone drugs with a doctor's prescription, corporations must distribute explanatory materials for patients. They must report results of the management plan, including domestic and overseas adverse cases, every year.
The Ministery of Food and Drug Safety said it "will manage so that the public can use medicines safely."