Electronic Recording of Growth Hormone Dosing History: The Easypod™ Auto-Injector

Francois-Xavier      Lion

Abstract

Poor adherence and persistence can have a major negative impact on the long-term clinical effectiveness of recombinant human growth hormone (r-hGH) treatment. However, real-time monitoring of adherence and persistence can be difficult. The easypod™ injection device is an electronic auto-injector for r-hGH (Saizen®, Merck Serono S.A. – Geneva, Switzerland) that includes an automatic memory feature for monitoring injection dose history. The easypod™ device records the dose of r-hGH injected, as well as the time and date of each injection. The cumulative dose history can be viewed on the screen of the easypod™ device as a calendar or by individual entry per injection. Based on a pre-programmed dosing schedule, missed or incomplete doses are displayed. The easypod™ connection kit allows uploading of the dose history to a secure online database, subsequently enabling the physician or nurse, using a personal computer, to view and print graphical and schematic data displays, use the data for calculations and export to other computing programmes. easypod™ is the first r-hGH injection device to enable accurate monitoring of treatment adherence and persistence, thereby providing an essential tool for optimizing r-hGH treatment outcome.

Keywords: Adherence, administration, electronic auto-injector, growth hormone, injection device, recombinant, persistence, recombinant human growth hormone, easypodTM injection, Turner syndrome