Weekly shot could replace daily growth hormone for short kids
NCT ID NCT07260500
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study tests a new weekly growth hormone injection (PEG-rhGH) against the standard daily shot in 72 short children born small for gestational age. The children, aged 3 and up with no puberty signs, will receive either a low or high weekly dose or a daily dose for 26 weeks. The main goal is to see how fast they grow, aiming to find a more convenient treatment option.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- PEGylated recombinant human growth hormone (PEG-rhGH, Jintrolong®) and daily recombinant human growth hormone (hGH, Jintropin®)
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could offer a more convenient once-weekly growth hormone injection for children born small for gestational age who are short, potentially improving growth with fewer injections.
- What could go wrong
- This is an early phase 2 trial with only 72 children, so results may not confirm effectiveness or safety. The weekly injection may not work as well as the daily one, and side effects like injection site reactions or growth-related issues are possible.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Phase 2
Tests whether the treatment actually works, and watches for side effects, in a larger group.
- Participants
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About 72 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Nov 2025
- Expected to finish
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Apr 2027
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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A company
The lead sponsor is a pharmaceutical, biotech, or medical-device company.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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3 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Born full-term and "small-for-dates" - Born at 37-41 weeks (full-term). - Birth weight below the 10th percentile for that week of pregnancy and sex . * At least 3 years old on the day the parent signs the consent form. * Still prepubertal (Tanner stage I - no signs of puberty yet). * Height at the first study visit is more than 2 standard deviations below the average for his or her age and sex. * Bone age on X-ray is no more than 1 year ahead of real age. * Never taken growth hormone, IGF-1, or any ghrelin-like medicine before. * Both the subject and their guardian are able to voluntarily sign the Informed Consent Form (ICF) and voluntarily cooperate in completing the trial according to the protocol. If the subject is legally incompetent, written informed consent from their guardian shall be obtained. Additionally, relevant information about the clinical trial shall be communicated to the subject within their understanding, and the subject should be encouraged to sign the ICF personally as much as possible. Exclusion Criteria: * Severe allergy to growth hormone or its ingredients. * Growth-hormone deficiency. * Any chromosome/genetic/syndrome cause of short stature. * Other diseases that can impair growth. * Cognitive, developmental, or psychiatric disorders that could affect assessments . * Current or past cancer, or high familial cancer risk. * Positive hepatitis B, hepatitis C, HIV, or active tuberculosis at screening. * Abnormal liver or kidney blood tests. * Pre-diabetes or diabetes at screening . * Systemic steroids \> 28 consecutive days or \> 14 days total in the last 3 months. * High-dose inhaled steroids \> 28 days in the last year. * Prior use of aromatase inhibitors, GnRH analogues, sex hormones, anabolic agents, or other drugs that affect growth. 13. Unable to receive subcutaneous injections. * Claustrophobia or inability to undergo brain MRI. * Participated in another clinical trial with investigational treatment within 3 months. * Any other condition that, in the investigator's opinion, makes the child unsuitable for the study.
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Tongji Hospital Affiliated to Tongji Medical College of Huazhong University of Science and Technology
RECRUITINGWuhan, Hubei, 430030, China
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