According to a report in the Journal of the American Medical Association, the off-label use of growth hormone (GH) or provision of GH is termed as illegal in the United States for treating aging and other forms of age-associated illness.
The study authors were Dr. Thomas Perls, Director of the New England Centenarian Study at Boston Medical Center and associate professor of medicine at Boston University School of Medicine; Dr. Neal Reisman, clinical professor of plastic surgery at Baylor College of Medicine and associate chief of plastic surgery at St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital, who is also an attorney; and S. Jay Olshansky, professor of epidemiology at the University of Illinois at Chicago School of Public Health.
From News-Medical.Net:
“Prescribing and administering HGH has become a routine intervention in an industry that is variably called anti-aging, regenerative, longevity or age management medicine,” said Perls. “Hundreds of thousands of patients who have received HGH in recent years as a purported treatment for aging are unaware that they are receiving the drug illegally.
“Although there is no evidence that HGH administration stops or reverses aging, many people spend a great deal of money on these products,” Perls said. “On the contrary, responsibly conducted and peer-reviewed science indicates that HGH could in fact accelerate aging and shorten lifespan. It is associated with very high rates of serious adverse effects, and long-term use could increase one’s risk of cancer.”
According to Olshansky, “off-label use for many drugs is a normal and accepted practice in medicine, but that is not true for growth hormone. According to laws instituted by Congress more than 10 years ago, HGH can only be distributed for indications specifically authorized by the Secretary of Health and Human Services, and aging and its related disorders are not among them. The use of HGH as an alleged anti-aging intervention is a major public health concern not just because it is illegal, but also because its provision for anti-aging is not supported by science and it is potentially harmful.”
Reisman remarked that the study paper is aimed at generating public awareness about the legal concerns surrounding unauthorized and improper distribution, marketing, and discouraging criminal practices in respect to growth hormone.
