(Health Korea News / Yu Ji-in) The clinical value of ‘Angela (ingredient name: Somatrogon),’ a once-weekly growth hormone treatment, has been shared. On August 31 and September 1, Pfizer Korea held a symposium called ‘New Generation Summit’ with approximately 80 pediatric endocrinologists in attendance to commemorate the first anniversary of the launch of Angela.
This symposium was organized to discuss research results and the latest knowledge on the treatment of pediatric growth failure patients due to pituitary growth hormone secretion disorders with growth hormone treatment specialists from around the country. On the first day, Professor Lee Ki-hyung of the Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Korea University College of Medicine, served as the moderator, and the first speaker, Professor Jeong Mo-gyeong of the Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, CHA University, gave a presentation. Professor Jeong gave a presentation titled, “Practical Guide on Ngenla® Use: From Clinical Trials to Real-World Studies,” and explained the 5-year long-term growth effects and safety profile of Ngenla, as well as the latest research and treatment knowledge.
Next, Professor Masanobu Kawai of Osaka Women’s and Children’s Hospital in Japan gave a presentation on the topic, ‘New Era of Treatment for GH Deficiency with Long-Acting GH.’
On the second day of the symposium, the symposium began with a welcoming speech by Professor Lee Young-Jun of the Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, Korea University, who chaired the symposium, followed by a presentation by Professor Moon Jeong-Eun of the Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, on the topic of “The Evidence Base Focused on Asian Population for Somatrogon Treatment.” Professor Moon explained the results of a post-hoc analysis of Asian patients in a global phase 3 study and the latest clinical data on Asian patients with Angela, and shared patient treatment cases.
The last session was graced by Professor Jeong-Hwan Seo of Yonsei University College of Medicine, Department of Pediatric Endocrinology. Under the theme of ‘Beyond Growth Charts: Exploring the impact of LAGH on Treatment Burden’, he introduced a study that deeply analyzed the treatment burden of pediatric growth hormone deficiency and the patient’s treatment compliance for treatment optimization.
Professor Masanobu Kawai of Osaka Women’s and Children’s Hospital in Japan, who participated as a special lecturer, presented the results of a multicenter, randomized, open-label phase 3 clinical trial conducted in 21 countries, including Korea, on prepubertal children with growth hormone deficiency, and highlighted Angela, which confirmed non-inferiority to daily growth hormone. According to the results of the study, the annual height growth rate in the Angela group at 12 months was 10.10 cm/year, and in the daily growth hormone (somatropin) group, it was 9.78 cm/year, and the difference in annual height growth rate between the two agents was 0.33 cm (95% CI: −0.24, 0.89).
Professor Masanobu then explained that a phase 3 crossover study on the burden of growth hormone treatment in children with growth hormone deficiency conducted in a multi-institutional, multi-country setting showed that Angela had a significantly lower treatment burden than somatropin (Life interference total score, 8.63 vs. 24.13; -15.49; 2-sided 95%CI -19.71, -11.27; p<0.0001).
Compliance with growth hormone therapy is one of the important factors affecting the rate of height growth and linear growth. According to a survey of 112 guardians (parents) of patients receiving growth hormone therapy and 123 medical staff in Japan, 18.1% of medical staff and 32.1% of parents responded that they were unable to properly adhere to the once-daily administration schedule. Professor Masanobu said, “64.5% of the medical staff and 56.9% of the parents who participated in the survey answered that they expected that they would be able to adhere to the administration schedule when switching to a once-weekly growth hormone drug such as Angela,” and predicted that “Angela, which has a lower administration frequency, lower administration burden, and has a confirmed effect on height growth, can establish itself as a more satisfactory treatment option for both patients and guardians.”
Lee Ji-eun, Executive Director of Korea Pfizer, said, “It is very meaningful to be able to share the changes that Angela has brought to the treatment environment for growth hormone deficiency, one year after the launch of Angela benefits,” and “This symposium was a meaningful time to reaffirm that Angela is contributing to solving the unmet needs of patients and their guardians through the latest clinical knowledge from Korea and abroad.”
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