Growth hormone data

OIA response

Response to a request for information on the use of somatropin (growth hormone).

26 September 2019

[name and contact details redacted]

Dear [name redacted]

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION – GROWTH HORMONE

Thank you for your request dated 30 August under the Official Information Act 1982 (OIA) for information relating to growth hormone (somatropin).  You asked for:

Data on the number of new patients getting growth hormone each year (for the last 10 years) by age (under 18 patient group), sex and ethnicity, if possible by indication with a special interest in those with GH deficiency.

The information requested is provided on the following pages.

PHARMAC approaches its assessment of requests for information under the OIA on the basis that, once released, the information becomes publicly available - in other words once we release the information to you, it becomes available to any other party in that exact form (whether by you distributing it to others or by virtue of us receiving the same request from a different third party). 

We trust that this information answers your query.  We are making our information more freely available, so we will now publish selected OIA responses (excluding personal details) on our website.  Please get in touch with us if you have any questions about this.

Yours sincerely

Alison Hill
Director, Engagement and Implementation

Table 1: Number of people under at the time of dispensing, dispensed somatropin in the community between June 2010 and June 2018, split by ethnicity and gender.

Gender

Ethnicity

2009/10

2010/11

2011/12

2012/13

2013/14

2014/15

2015/16

2016/17

2017/18

Female

Asian

12

15

14

14

15

16

22

24

26

Female

European

88

86

89

90

87

103

97

96

105

Female

Maori

16

17

22

26

26

32

32

29

36

Female

MELAA

<10

<10

<10

<10

<10

<10

<10

<10

<10

Female

Other

<10

                

Female

Pacific Island

<10

12

<10

<10

11

<10

<10

10

<10

Female

Unspecified

<10

<10

<10

<10

          

Male

Asian

<10

<10

<10

<10

<10

<10

10

11

11

Male

European

64

64

72

88

89

87

85

96

98

Male

Maori

27

25

28

31

29

35

33

30

39

Male

MELAA

<10

<10

<10

<10

<10

<10

<10

<10

<10

Male

Other

  

<10

<10

<10

          

Male

Pacific Island

<10

<10

<10

<10

<10

<10

<10

<10

<10

Male

Unspecified

<10

<10

<10

<10

    

<10

<10

<10

Total

  

240

244

256

281

275

296

296

307

336

Note: This data for ethnicity is prioritised ethnicity. The prioritised ethnicity data assigns each person a primary ethnicity, with the primary ethnicity selected in a specific order, called the Ethnic Group priority. For example, if a person identifies as Māori for one of their 3 ethnicities then their primary ethnicity will be noted as Māori, as the Māori ethnicity is ranked first in the Ethnic Group priority list.

Table 2: Number of people under 18, dispensed somatropin in the community between June 2010 and June 2018, with indication under which approval was granted.

Indication

2009/10

2010/11

2011/12

2012/13

2013/14

2014/15

2015/16

2016/17

2017/18

Exceptional Circumstances

          

<10

<10

<10

<10

Growth hormone deficiency in children

          

130

140

146

156

Panel Approvals

234

238

253

275

272

218

      

Short stature due to chronic renal insufficiency

          

10

10

<10

<10

Short stature without growth hormone deficiency

          

87

98

109

114

Specific Pre-Approval

          

<10

12

12

13

Turner syndrome

          

52

48

40

46

Prader-Willi syndrome

          

32

31

35

34

Note - There is double counting in this table as some people were approved under more than one indication in the same year.

<10