New drug to combat growth hormone

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 34037, 29 December 1975, Page 14

New drug to combat growth hormone

\ new diabetes drug which prevents the release of the trow th hormone is bein" tested by two qualified investigators at Princess Margaret 1 lospital. in Christchurch.

The Pituitary Agency I ommittee in Washington has released the drug somatastatin to a limited number of qualified persons intimately concerned in endocrinology. in a few rentre> throughout the I'orld. been\nX.n tu/i’wo’u* three »vnthesised and used about It was found to be a small peptide hormone in the

blood stream, which shuts off the growth hormone. Professor D. W Beaven. a ! diabetes expert at the hosi pital. said that the new drug . hormone could be manufac- . tured. A small amount had been released through the ’ Pituitary Agency, investigating new hormones. • Associate Professors E. A Espiner and R. A. Donald, of the department of endocrino- , logy, had received the hor- , rmne somatastatin and were t studying it at The Princess L Margaret Hospital, on a trial basis. 1 The nospital has an endo- ■ crine department ".’meh

1 measures hormones for the: South Island and part of the i North Island. Professor Beaven said the 1 drug was being used in •patients with too much ‘ growth hormone. The over- : growth of tissue could usu- ■ ally be removed but that; growth usually reoccurred. Treatments to date had not f always been 100 per cent "successful. , At Princess Margaret Hospital. somatastatin was in-i ; fused into the patient's vein and measurements were i taken of the growth hor-'i ’ mone During the infusing 1 period of eight to 12 hours, i measurements were also | taken of the amounts of insulin and glucagon in the blood If the level of the growth hormone in the bloodstreaml (fell after the course of infusing, it could determine 1 which form of tablets might Jbe useful for the patient. In the last three months, it had been found that animals with diabetes had a great excess of somatastatin •in the pancreas gland. It was believed that soma tastatin is there to regulate the insulin and glucagon, said Professor Beaven. This was believed to be a major breakthrough. Professor 1. Qrci, of Gen-

eva and Dallas, Texas, had (a theory that perhaps the |"D” cells in the pancreas be;came too active and shut off insulin secretion. As insulin brought the blood-sugar back to normal and glucagon put the bloodsugar level up, this would produce one form of diabetes. Professor Beaven said.