My child is out of growth hormone, what do I do?
Please contact your pharmacy. Your pharmacy will reach out to us regarding your
prescription, and we will send the appropriate refills / change the prescription based on the
current stock of the pharmacy.
My child is missing doses due to the shortage, will they have side effects?
No, your child should not experience any side effects or issues being off growth hormone.
Can I have multiple prescriptions for growth hormone so the pharmacy can fill what is
available?
Unfortunately, growth hormone is controlled in the state of Colorado; therefore, your child
is only allowed to have one active prescription at a time. This means for every change to
prescription(between brands, between pen sizes, etc) they need a new prescription.
What is the process of changing my child’s growth hormone prescription?
All growth hormone prescriptions require Prior Authorization (PA) from insurance for you
to fill your child’s medication. We submit PA paperwork for your child on an annual basis, as
well as any time the brand of growth hormone is changing. (Some insurance plans also
require new PAs for dose or strength changes). It can take two to three weeks for us to
receive an answer from insurance regarding PA approval.
Can I change pharmacies?
As growth hormone is a specialty medication, it must be filled through the specialty
pharmacy your insurance contracts with.
When should I request refills for my medication?
Specialty pharmacies have a 1-7 day processing time for all prescriptions. Please allow at
least a week for any refills, and two weeks for any new prescriptions. Plan to request refills
from your pharmacy 2-3 weeks in advance.
What can I do to expedite the process?
Contact your pharmacy to see if they have your child’s prescribed growth hormone and
recommended pen device in stock. If they do not have the prescribed growth hormone in
stock, you can ask your insurance what alternative growth hormones and pen device they
would cover for your child. Any information you can gather will help the prior authorization
needed for any change in growth hormone and dispensing device be processed faster.
Helpful phone numbers:
Pfizer Bridge Program: 800-468-3802
Call to order a Genotropin pen device or sign up for Genotropin copay assistance
Please note, Genotropin pen devices are currently on back order.
Omnisource: 877-456-6794
Call to order an Omnitrope pen device
Novocare: 888-668–6444
Call for patient assistance or copay assistance for Norditropin
Please note, the patient assistance program currently has an extremely limited stock of
Norditropin. If your child is enrolled in the patient assistance program, they will receive
medication as it becomes available. Our office does not have a timeframe for when patient
assistance programs can expect to receive medication.
Media coverage regarding national Growth Hormone Shortage
https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2024/04/17/1245154523/norditropin-growth-hormone-shortage