Prospect: Information for the User
Humatrope 6 mg/ 12 mg/ 24 mg Powder and Diluent for Injectable Solution
somatropin
Read this prospect carefully before starting to use this medication, as it contains important information for you.
Your medication or the medication of the person in your care is called Humatrope. It contains human growth hormone, also known as somatropin. Humatrope is obtained through a special process known as recombinant DNA technology. It has the same structure as the growth hormone produced by your body.
Growth hormone regulates the growth and development of cells in your body. When it stimulates cell growth in the spine and long bones of the legs, it causes an increase in height.
In cases of growth hormone deficiency, growth hormone also increases bone mineral content, the number and size of muscle cells, and reduces body fat deposits.
Humatrope is used for
No use Humatrope
Warnings and precautions
Consult your doctor or pharmacist before starting to use Humatrope.
If you are receiving a glucocorticoid replacement therapy, you must consult your doctor regularly as it may be necessary to adjust your glucocorticoid dose.
If you were treated for growth hormone deficiency during your childhood, your doctor will re-examine your growth hormone deficiency to decide if you need Humatrope treatment during your adult age.
If you have completed previous antitumor treatment, it may be necessary to have a brain scan before starting Humatrope treatment. You must be examined regularly to ensure that the tumor does not recur or start growing.
A higher risk of developing a second tumor (benign or malignant) has been reported in patients who survived cancer and were treated with somatropin. Of these second tumors, in particular, brain tumors were the most common.
If you experience symptoms such as frequent or severe headaches, nausea, and/or visual problems, inform your doctor immediately. Your doctor must perform an eye examination to observe if there is evidence of increased intracranial pressure. Depending on the results of this examination, Humatrope treatment may need to be interrupted.
If you experience limpness or hip pain, please consult your doctor. During growth periods, alterations in the bone of your hip may occur.
If you start treatment, Humatrope may affect the amount of thyroid hormones in your blood. If the level of thyroid hormone is low, it may reduce your response to Humatrope. Therefore, you must have regular thyroid function tests regardless of whether you receive thyroid hormone treatment or not.
If you are a child, ensure that you maintain treatment until you reach your final height.
If you take a higher dose than prescribed for Humatrope, you may experience overgrowth of some parts of your body such as ears, nose, jaw, hands, and feet. Overdose may also trigger increased blood sugar levels and sugar in urine. Use Humatrope only as instructed by your doctor.
If you have had growth alterations due to renal damage, you must suspend Humatrope treatment before renal transplantation.
If you have critical acute diseases, inform your doctor treating you. Cases of death in patients receiving somatropin during critical diseases have been reported.
If you have growth hormone deficiency and also have Prader-Willi syndrome (a genetic disorder), your doctor must examine your respiratory problems and airway infections before starting Humatrope treatment, especially if you are overweight, have previously experienced severe respiratory problems (especially during sleep) or have suffered pulmonary or airway infections. If during treatment you experience signs of respiratory problems (snoring), treatment must be interrupted and the cause evaluated by your doctor.
Humatrope may affect the way your body acts on the sugar from food and drink, interfering with the way your body uses insulin. Therefore, if you take Humatrope, your doctor must confirm if your body is handling sugar correctly.
If you have diabetes mellitus, you may need to adjust your insulin dose after starting Humatrope treatment. Your doctor will check your blood sugar levels and may adjust your treatment for diabetes.
If you have growth alterations associated with being born small for your gestational age, your blood sugar and insulin levels must be measured before starting treatment and regularly during treatment.
If you are an elderly patient (over 65 years old), you may be more sensitive to Humatrope and may be prone to adverse effects.
Humatrope may cause pancreatitis, which causes intense pain in the abdomen and back. Contact your doctor if you or your child develop stomach pain after taking Humatrope.
Scoliosis (increase in lateral curvature of the spine) may progress in any child during rapid growth. Signs of scoliosis must be monitored during treatment.
Inform your doctor or pharmacist if you are using, have used recently, or may need to use any other medicine.
In particular, inform your doctor if you are taking or have recently taken any of the following medicines. Your doctor may need to adjust the dose of Humatrope or the other medicines:
Pregnancy and breastfeeding
Humatrope should not be used during pregnancy, unless your doctor tells you to. Inform your doctor immediately if you are pregnant.
The passage of somatropin to breast milk is unknown. If you are breastfeeding or intend to do so, consult your doctor before using Humatrope.
Driving and operating machines
Humatrope has no known effects on the ability to drive or operate machines.
Humatrope contains sodium
This medicine contains less than 1 mmol of sodium (23 mg) per daily dose; it is essentially sodium-free.
Use in athletes
This medicine contains somatropin, which may produce a positive result in doping control tests.
Follow exactly the administration instructions of this medication as indicated by your doctor. In case of doubt, consult your doctor or pharmacist again.
Dosage
Your doctor will indicate your dosage and administration schedule. Do not change your dosage without consulting your doctor.
Normally, Humatrope treatment is a long-term treatment; your doctor may need to adjust your dosage over time based on your body weight and response to treatment. Generally, the dosage is calculated according to the following recommendations and is administered once a day:
Children and adolescents with:
0.025 - 0.035 mg/kg body weight per day,
0.045 - 0.050 mg/kg body weight per day,
0.045 - 0.050 mg/kg body weight per day,
0.035 mg/kg body weight per day. Treatment should be discontinued after the first year of treatment if growth rate is insufficient,
0.045 - 0.050 mg/kg body weight per day.
Growth hormone deficiency in adults:
Start treatment with a low dose of 0.15-0.30 mg per day. It may be necessary to start with lower doses in overweight or elderly patients. The initial dose can be gradually increased according to individual needs. The total daily dose usually does not exceed 1 mg.
Dosage requirements may decrease with age. Women, especially those on oral estrogen replacement therapy, may require higher doses than men.
If you use more Humatrope than you should
If you have injected more Humatrope than you should, consult your doctor.
In case of overdose or accidental ingestion, consult your doctor or pharmacist immediately or call the Toxicology Information Service, phone91 562 04 20, indicating the medication and the amount ingested.
If you forget to use Humatrope
Do not inject a double dose to compensate for the missed doses. Continue with the prescribed dose. If you have forgotten to inject Humatrope and are unsure what to do, consult your doctor.
If you interrupt treatment with Humatrope
Ask your doctor before stopping treatment. Premature interruption or suspension of Humatrope treatment may affect the success of Humatrope treatment.
If you have any other questions about the use of this medication, ask your doctor or pharmacist.
Like all medicines, this medicine can cause side effects, although not everyone will experience them.
You may experience any of the following side effects after being injected with Humatrope:
The following criteria have been used to classify side effects:
Very common: may affect more than 1 in 10 patients
Common: may affect up to 1 in 10 patients
Uncommon: may affect up to 1 in 100 patients
Rare: may affect up to 1 in 1,000 patients
Very rare: may affect up to 1 in 10,000 patients
Other possible side effects (frequency cannot be estimated from available data)
Children | ||||
Common | Uncommon | Rare | Very rare | Other |
Pain at the injection site Swelling (Edema) High blood sugar (hyperglycemia) Hypersensitivity to metacresol or/and glycerol Low thyroid hormone levels Development of antibodies against growth hormone Progression of scoliosis (an increase in lateral curvature of the spine) | Weakness Type 2 diabetes mellitus Enlargement of breasts (gynecomastia) | Severe or frequent headaches with nausea and/or vision problems that are signs of increased intracranial pressure (benign intracranial hypertension). Inform your doctor immediately if this occurs. Numbness and tingling (paresthesia) Localized muscle pain (myalgia) | Difficulty sleeping (insomnia) High blood pressure (hypertension) Sugar in the urine (glucosuria) | Hypersensitivity to the active ingredient |
Adults | ||||
Very common | Common | Uncommon | Rare | Other |
Headache Joint pain (arthralgia) | Pain at the injection site Swelling (Edema) High blood sugar (hyperglycemia) Hypersensitivity to metacresol and/or glycerol Low thyroid hormone levels Difficulty sleeping (insomnia) Numbness and tingling (paresthesia) Numbness and tingling in fingers and palm of the hand due to compression of the wrist nerve (carpal tunnel syndrome) Localized muscle pain (myalgia) High blood pressure (hypertension) Difficulty breathing (dyspnea) Temporary interruption of breathing during sleep (sleep apnea) | Weakness Enlargement of breasts (gynecomastia) | Severe or frequent headaches with nausea and/or vision problems that are signs of increased intracranial pressure (benign intracranial hypertension). Inform your doctor immediately if this occurs. Sugar in the urine (glucosuria) | Type 2 diabetes mellitus Hypersensitivity to the active ingredient |
The effect of insulin may be reduced.
Leukemia has been reported in a small number of children treated with growth hormone. However, there is no evidence that the incidence of leukemia is increased in patients receiving growth hormone.
Reporting of side effects
If you experience any type of side effect, consult your doctor or pharmacist, even if it is a possible side effect that does not appear in this leaflet. You can also report them directly through the Spanish System for Pharmacovigilance of Medicines for Human Use:www.notificaram.es. By reporting side effects, you can contribute to providing more information on the safety of this medicine.
Keep this medication out of the sight and reach of children.
Do not use this medication after the expiration date that appears on the label and on the packaging. The expiration date (EXP) is the last day of the month indicated.
Do not use this medication if you observe that the solution is not transparent or if it contains particles.
Humatrope must be stored in the refrigerator (between 2°C and 8°C) at all times. Do not freeze.
Once reconstituted, do not leave Humatrope out of the refrigerator for more than 30 minutes a day.
Once reconstituted, Humatrope can be used for a maximum of 28 days if stored in the refrigerator and is not left out of the refrigerator for more than 30 minutes a day at room temperature.
Medications should not be disposed of through the drains or in the trash. Dispose of the packaging and unused medications at the SIGRE point of the pharmacy. In case of doubt, ask your pharmacist how to dispose of the packaging and unused medications. By doing so, you will help protect the environment.
Humatrope Composition
Lyophilized Powder in the Cartridge
The active principle is somatropin. Each cartridge contains 6mg, 12mg or 24mg depending on the concentration. Once reconstituted:
The other components are: mannitol, glycine, sodium dihydrogen phosphate.
[During the manufacturing process, phosphoric acid or sodium hydroxide (or both) may have been used to adjust the pH].
Pre-filled Syringe Diluent
The pre-filled syringe diluent contains: glycerol, metacresol, water for injection. [During the manufacturing process, hydrochloric acid or sodium hydroxide (or both) may have been used to adjust the pH].
Appearance of the Product and Contents of the Package
Humatrope 6mg: |
Package size: 1, 5 and 10 |
Humatrope 12mg: |
Package size: 1, 5 and 10 |
Humatrope 24mg: |
Package size: 1, 5 and 10 |
Not all package sizes may be marketed
Marketing Authorisation Holder
LILLY, S.A. Avda. dela Industria, 30. 28108 Alcobendas (Madrid).
Responsible for Manufacturing
LillyFrance, S.A.S. Rue du Colonel Lilly, 67640 Fegersheim (France).
For any information about this medicinal product, please contact the Marketing Authorisation Holder (or the local representative):
Lilly, S.A. Avda. dela Industria, 30. 28108 Alcobendas (Madrid).
This medicinal product is authorised in the Member States of the European Economic Area under the following names:
In the Member States of the European Economic Area where this product is authorised, it is authorised under the name of “Humatrope”, except in France where it is authorised as “Umatrope”.
How to Inject Humatrope 6 mg/ 12mg/ 24 mg
The following instructions explain how to inject Humatrope. Read the instructions carefully and follow them step by step.
Starting: You will need five pieces:
Wash your hands before continuing with the following steps. | |
*Note: The liquid is colourless. It is shown in blue only for illustration purposes. |
The following steps will guide you in how to prepare your new cartridge for use | ||
Step 1 Unpacking
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RemoveALLthe contents from the box. Note: this product is designed to be used by left-handed or right-handed people. Please use the hand that feels most comfortable. | Hold the needle guard, located at the end of the diluent syringe. | Remove the needle guard and discard it.DOnot press the plunger yet. Sometimes a drop of liquid is released. It is not necessary to release the air from the diluent syringe. |
Steps 2 and 3 Placing the Cartridge | ||
Hold the cartridge with the black triangles upwards. Place the cartridge and the diluent syringe in a straight line.DOnot insert the cartridge at an angle. | PUSHthe cartridgeSTRAIGHTuntil it reaches the topANDuntil the black trianglesARE COVERED. You may hear or feel a “click”.DOnot turn the cartridge. | |
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Hold the diluent syringe and the cartridge together withTHE TWO HANDS. Press and release the plunger 2 or 3 times until the diluent is in the cartridge. | Remove your finger from the plunger and check that the diluent syringe is empty (it is normal for small drops of diluent to remain in the syringe). | |
Steps5 and 6 Removing the Cartridge and Eliminating the Diluent | ||
With your fingerAPARTfrom the plunger, remove the cartridge from the diluent syringe | Place the final cap on a hard and smooth surface. Push the diluent syringe over the final cap and immediately discard the diluent syringe as instructed by your doctor. | |
Step 7 Gentle Mixing
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Mix the cartridge 10 times gently. DO NOT SHAKE. | Observe the solution. The Humatrope solution?should be transparent. | |
Step 8 Injection of Humatrope using a suitable injection pen.
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Humatrope is a registered trademark of Eli Lilly and Company Limited
Last revision date of this leaflet: July 2021
Further information on this medicinal product is available on the website ofthe Spanish Agencyof Medicines and Medical Devices (AEMPS)http://www.aemps.es/
Have questions about this medication or your symptoms? Connect with a licensed doctor for guidance and personalized care.