[Edaily Reporter Na Eun-kyung] #LG Chem announced on the 11th that it held the 21st LGS (LG Growth Study) Symposium for pediatric endocrinologists, where it presented interim analysis results from a long-term observational study of the Utropin product line (hereinafter “Utropin”) and introduced its new product, “Utropin EcoPen” (hereinafter “EcoPen”).

Short stature refers to a condition in which a child’s height is significantly below the average for children of the same age and gender. A primary cause is growth hormone deficiency, characterized by insufficient growth hormone secretion. Another major indication is idiopathic short stature (ISS), in which no specific abnormalities are found in tests but the child remains short.

Idiopathic short stature refers to cases where growth velocity is insufficient even though growth hormone secretion is within the normal range. Although the exact cause of this condition has not been clearly identified, its effectiveness in improving final adult height through growth hormone therapy has been confirmed, and treatment is being administered both domestically and internationally.

Since 2012, LG Chem has been conducting the LGS study to collect long-term data on growth hormone therapy involving approximately 10,000 Korean children through 2035. As of the end of last year, the number of registered pediatric patients had reached about 8,000. According to LG Chem, the LGS is the longest-running large-scale observational study in the field of growth hormone therapy in Korea. To date, 23 papers by Korean medical professionals have been published based on this data.

At the symposium, Professor Lee Young-ah of Seoul National University Hospital and Professor Kim Ja-hye of Asan Medical Center in Seoul presented the results of a 13-year long-term safety and efficacy analysis and treatment approaches for growth hormone deficiency and idiopathic short stature, respectively.

Professor Lee explained that an interim analysis of LGS safety data from 2012 to 2025 showed that the rate of serious adverse drug reactions (SADRs) was observed at 0.2%, and overall safety indicators remained favorable. In terms of efficacy, an analysis of height standard deviation scores (SDS) over four years of treatment confirmed sustained improvement across all indications. The growth hormone deficiency group improved from -2.3 to -0.8, and the idiopathic short stature group improved from -2.3 to -1.0. In particular, a relatively higher improvement trend was observed in the group of patients who began treatment before puberty.

Professor Kim presented the results of a subgroup analysis of a 7-year long-term exposure study involving patients with growth hormone deficiency and idiopathic short stature. He explained that endocrine and metabolic indicators, such as thyroid function and blood glucose levels, remained stable, and that the long-term growth response in Korean pediatric patients showed trends similar to those observed in major long-term observational studies conducted overseas.

A separate exhibition space was also set up at the symposium to showcase the product features and design elements of the new product, “EcoPen.”

So Jin-eon, Head of Research and Development at LG Chem, stated, “We developed ‘EcoPen’ based on the ‘3-Comfortable’ (Comfortable) value derived from analyzing the overall actual treatment experiences of patients, caregivers, and medical staff, going beyond simple device improvements,” he said. “We aim to contribute to improving treatment adherence by reducing the psychological and physical burdens experienced by patients and caregivers in real-world injection settings.”