Short answer: Humatrope and Genotropin are both somatropin, the same growth hormone, injected under the skin.12 Children split a weekly dose into 6 or 7 injections; adults inject daily. Genotropin is approved for Prader-Willi syndrome and Humatrope is not; Humatrope is approved for SHOX deficiency. Label doses by condition differ. Neither label reports a trial against the other.
| Humatrope | Genotropin | |
|---|---|---|
| Children: approved uses | Growth hormone deficiency, Turner syndrome, idiopathic short stature, SHOX deficiency, small for gestational age1 | Growth hormone deficiency, Prader-Willi syndrome, Turner syndrome, small for gestational age, idiopathic short stature2 |
| Children: growth hormone deficiency dose | 0.18 to 0.3 mg/kg/week, split over 6 or 7 days1 | 0.16 to 0.24 mg/kg/week, split into 6 or 7 injections2 |
| Turner syndrome | Up to 0.375 mg/kg/week1 | 0.33 mg/kg/week2 |
| Adults: starting dose | About 0.2 mg/day, or 0.006 mg/kg daily1 | About 0.2 mg/day, or not more than 0.04 mg/kg/week2 |
| Adults: swelling, first 6 months | Edema 17% vs 4% on placebo; peripheral edema 12% vs 0%1 | Peripheral swelling 17.5% vs 5.1% on placebo; joint pain 17.3% vs 4.2%2 |
| Missed dose | No rule in the label1 | No rule in the label2 |
| Boxed warning | None1 | None2 |
The hormone is the same, but each brand has its own approved list. Genotropin is approved for growth failure in Prader-Willi syndrome; its label asks for an airway check first and a pause if snoring starts or worsens.2 Humatrope's label says it is not approved for Prader-Willi syndrome, and it is approved for SHOX deficiency at 0.35 mg/kg/week.1 For children born small for gestational age, the top weekly dose is up to 0.47 mg/kg for Humatrope and up to 0.48 mg/kg for Genotropin.12
Humatrope cartridges (6, 12 or 24 mg) are mixed with their own diluent and used only with the matching HumatroPen, and are not used by people allergic to metacresol or glycerin in that diluent.1
Both labels carry the same somatropin warnings: higher death rates in acute critical illness (42% vs 19% on placebo in two intensive care trials), tumors, blood sugar changes, raised pressure in the skull, fluid retention, low cortisol, thyroid changes, hip problems, scoliosis and pancreatitis.12 The adult swelling rows above come from each label's own trials. These numbers come from separate trials with different people, lengths and methods, so they are not a head-to-head comparison.
Which, if either, fits is for your prescriber. More detail: Humatrope side effects, Genotropin side effects, the Humatrope and Genotropin dosing schedules, the somatropin missed-dose page, the growth hormone guide, and Norditropin vs Genotropin vs Omnitrope: how do the somatropin brands differ?.