Big Pharma cashing in on illegal HGH abuse

Whether it’s out of a desire to achieve greatness in athletics or simply an attempt to defy age, Americans from teenagers to baby boomers are trying to get an edge in various walks of life by illegally using anabolic steroids and human growth hormone, despite well-documented risks. In the second of an extensive two-part investigative series, The Associated Press says a federal crackdown on illicit foreign supplies of human growth hormone has failed to stop rampant misuse—and has instead driven record sales of the drug by some of the world’s biggest pharmaceutical companies. The crackdown, which began in 2006, reduced the illegal flow of unregulated supplies from China, India and Mexico. But since then, Big Pharma has been satisfying the steady desires of U.S. users and abusers, including many who take the drug in the false hope of delaying the effects of aging. From 2005 to 2011, inflation-adjusted sales of HGH were up 69%, according to an AP analysis of pharmaceutical company data collected by the research firm IMS Health. Sales of the average prescription drug rose just 12% in that same period. Unlike other prescription drugs, HGH may be prescribed only for specific uses and rare medical conditions. At least half of last year’s sales likely went to patients not legally allowed to get the drug. And U.S. pharmacies processed nearly double the expected number of prescriptions. The full story can be found here.