Design of, and first data from, PATRO Children, a multicentre, noninterventional study of the long-term efficacy and safety of Omnitrope(®) in children requiring growth hormone treatment.

Objective:To describe the rationale, design and first data from PATRO Children, a postmarketing surveillance of the long-term efficacy and safety of somatropin (Omnitrope®) for the treatment of children requiring growth hormone treatment.Methods:PATRO Children is a multicentre, open, longitudinal, noninterventional study being conducted in children’s hospitals and specialised endocrinology clinics. The primary objective is to assess the long-term safety of Omnitrope® in routine clinical practice. Eligible patients are infants, children and adolescents (male or female) who are receiving treatment with Omnitrope® and who have provided informed consent. Patients who have been treated with another recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH) product before starting Omnitrope® are eligible for inclusion. All adverse events (AEs) are monitored and recorded, with particular emphasis on: long-term safety; the recording of malignancies; the occurrence and clinical impact of anti-hGH antibodies; the development of diabe...