A law calling for enhanced surveillance of human growth hormone (HGH) in the middle growing evidence that the substance is much abused was approved unanimously by the New Jersey Assembly committee.

Growth hormone deficiency affects one of every 100,000 American adults annually, as per the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists.

From NJ.com:

“We will know whether it’s an individual patient doctor shopping or if it’s a physician who’s dealing,” Conaway told The Star-Ledger. “We’d be able to monitor both ends of the problem.”

The bill would add HGH to the list of drugs within the state’s prescription monitoring program. It follows a Star-Ledger series that revealed wide use of anabolic steroids and human growth hormone among hundreds of law enforcement officers and firefighters in New Jersey.

The Star-Ledger found in most cases that the officers used their state-funded health benefits to foot the bill for substances, with the high cost of HGH running up a tab in the millions of dollars.

Health and Senior Services Committee Chairman Herb Conaway (D-Burlington) said the bill will help to counteract the abuse of HGH by patients and doctors.

Tags:  Anabolic steroids, growth hormone, HGH, human growth hormone

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The use of human growth hormone (HGH) for a wide variety of conditions has come under close scrutiny by the Congress. It has also prompted some concern that players could react by limiting reimbursement for legitimate purposes.

Insurers are already reluctant to cover scientifically validated uses of HGH, as per Dr. Richard Hellman, president of the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists.

From Internalmedicinenews.com:

An Internet search for “HGH” shows that the drug (or an illicit or counterfeit version) is being promoted for a large number of off-label uses. While this has been a widely known problem, Congress is taking a closer look at HGH and other alleged performance-enhancing substances in the wake of the December report issued by former Sen. George Mitchell that exposed a culture of acceptance for off-label and unproven uses of HGH and anabolic steroids in Major League Baseball.

In mid-February, the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform held a hearing on what it called “myths and facts” about HGH, vitamin B12, and other substances.

HGH has been touted as an antiaging cure, and increasingly appears to be used by athletes in the belief that it helps them improve performance and recover from injuries. It also is being investigated as a potential therapy for conditions such as fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome.

All of these uses are illegal. HGH is the only Food and Drug Administration-approved product that can only be prescribed for the approved indications. In adults, HGH is legal for AIDS-related wasting syndrome, short-bowel syndrome, and growth hormone deficiency.

Continuing use for purposes that have little to no evidence of safety and effectiveness may ultimately endanger patients who genuinely need HGH, according to Dr. Hellman, a clinical professor of medicine at the University of Missouri-Kansas City.

Tags:  Anabolic steroids, growth hormone, HGH, human growth hormone

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A leading medical authority has criticized usage of anti-aging hormones in response to a recently released report “The use of hormones for “anti-aging”: a review of efficacy and safety,” by the American Medical Association’s (AMA) Council.

The example demonstrated by the AMA was applauded by Dr. Thomas T. Perls, an associate professor of medicine at Boston University School of Medicine. AMA recently made an assessment of benefits and risks associated with growth hormone, testosterone, estrogen, and DHEA for anti-aging.

From Sciencedaily.com:

“The AMA’s review of the risks and benefits of these hormones in the setting of anti-aging and athletic enhancement is very important given its inclusion of the consensus and position statements of the key professional medical societies as well as the federal agencies that guard public health.” states Dr. Perls in the editorial.

The editorial summarizes the AMA’s assessment for each of the purported anti-aging hormones and essentially the bottom line of his argument is that in terms of anti-aging, the risks of these hormones out-weigh the little or no benefit. Dr. Perls denounces the marketing of these hormones, particularly growth hormone and anabolic steroids (anabolic steroids are variations of testosterone), for anti-aging. He also provides guidelines for spotting “red flags of quackery” and basic advice that physicians can lend to their patients in their pursuit of healthy aging.

The efforts of AMA were appreciated by Dr. Perls in an editorial appearing in the Future Medicine journal Aging Health.

Tags:  Anabolic steroids, DHEA, estrogen, growth hormone, testosterone

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