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Adherence to Growth Hormone Treatment Using a Connected Device in Latin America: Real-World Exploratory Descriptive

Aria Assefi1, Paula van Dommelen2, Lilian Arnaud3

  • 1Fertility and Endocrinology, Merck SA (an affiliate of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany), Buenos Aires, Argentina.

JMIR Mhealth and Uhealth
|January 20, 2022
PubMed

Insights

High adherence to recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH) therapy in Latin American children, tracked by connected devices, correlated with better growth outcomes. This highlights the value of technology in improving treatment for growth disorders.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Endocrinology
  • Biotechnology
  • Medical Device Technology

Background:

  • Recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH) therapy is crucial for treating pediatric growth disorders.
  • Suboptimal patient adherence to rhGH treatment is a significant barrier to achieving positive therapeutic outcomes.
  • Connected injection devices offer a potential solution for monitoring and improving adherence.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate adherence to rhGH treatment among Latin American pediatric patients using the easypod connected injection device.
  • To assess the association between rhGH treatment adherence and patient growth outcomes in this population.
  • To determine the impact of connected device data on understanding treatment effectiveness.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of adherence and growth data from 6207 pediatric patients (aged 2-18) across 12 Latin American countries.
  • Categorization of adherence levels (high, intermediate, low) based on prescribed versus injected rhGH doses.
  • Statistical analysis, including chi-square tests and multilevel linear regression, to evaluate factors influencing adherence and growth (∆HSDS).

Main Results:

  • Overall adherence was high, with 68% of patients classified as highly adherent (≥85%).
  • High adherence was significantly associated with higher transmission frequency from the connected device (59% vs. 46% and 35%).
  • Higher adherence levels demonstrated a significant positive effect on height standard deviation score change (∆HSDS), resulting in an average of 1.1 cm greater catch-up growth.

Conclusions:

  • Connected device technology, exemplified by the easypod ecosystem, facilitates high adherence to rhGH therapy in Latin American pediatric patients.
  • Demonstrated high adherence correlates with improved growth outcomes, underscoring the clinical utility of these devices.
  • Connected solutions are vital for optimizing rhGH treatment and improving management of growth disorders in pediatric populations.
Abstract

Keywords:
adherencechildrenconnected devicedisorderelectronic injection devicegrowthgrowth disordersgrowth hormoneoutcomereal-world datatherapytreatment

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