• Ji-Eun Lee, Se Young Kim, Jae-Ho Yoo, Il Tae Hwang, Jung Sub Lim, Kyung Hee Yi, Young-Jun Rhie, Gyung Min Lee, Hyo-Kyoung Nam, Hyun Wook Chae, Eun Young Kim, Chong Kun Cheon, Jieun Lee, Young Suk Shim, YuJin Lee, and Jin Soon Hwang.
• Department of Pediatrics, Inha University Hospital, Inha University Graduate School of Medicine, Incheon, Republic of Korea.
• Patient Prefer Adher. 2019 Jan 1; 13: 2195-2205.

PurposeTo assess the usability and safety of the disposable pen compared to those of reusable devices in patients receiving recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH) treatment.Patients And MethodsThis study was a multicenter, single-arm, open-label, switch-over, prospective, Phase IV trial. After screening, eligible patients who were previously treated with rhGH using a reusable device were enrolled to receive treatment with the disposable pen for 8 weeks. The ease of use, preference, and tolerability of the disposable pen compared to those of the reusable device were assessed by the subjects and/or their caregivers using a questionnaire. Adverse events were evaluated by the investigators.ResultsOf 116 subjects enrolled in this study, 115 received treatment with the disposable pen and 109 completed the study. The mean age of the subjects was 9.4 years. Compared to the previous reusable device, the disposable pen was assessed as significantly easier to use (mean value 7.88, 95% confidence interval (CI) [7.45-8.30] on a numerical scale ranging from 0 (far less easy) to 10 (far easier)). Furthermore, the percentage of subjects who preferred the disposable pen to the previously used reusable device was 75.7% (95% CI [67.6%-83.8%]). The percentages of subjects who rated pain and discomfort at the injection site as "not at all" were higher after using the disposable pen compared to the reusable device. No specific safety concerns were identified.ConclusionThe disposable pen is easier to use than the reusable devices and is preferred by approximately 75% of patients receiving rhGH treatment. Moreover, the disposable pen is safe and acceptable. Therefore, it could be a good alternative to reusable devices. The disposable pen is expected to provide benefits to patients receiving rhGH treatment.Clinicaltrialsgov IdentifierNCT03015909.© 2019 Lee et al.

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