Working with Alkermes to Reduce Frequency of Growth Hormone Injections Growth hormone therapy is tremendously important to those who need it, but most patients probably wish they did not have to give themselves the daily injections required for the therapy. The efforts of Genentech's partner, Alkermes, Inc., may provide a solution to this dilemma. These efforts may also lead to a significant competitive advantage as Genentech defends its majority share of the growth hormone market against competition.

Alkermes and Genentech are working to develop a sustained-release formulation of human growth hormone that would not have to be administered as frequently as currently marketed growth hormone products. A Phase I clinical trial of ProLease® human growth hormone - a sustained release version of Genentech's human growth hormone - demonstrated that a single injection of ProLease resulted in elevated levels of human growth hormone and other related proteins for three to four weeks in adult patients with growth hormone deficiency. Alkermes and Genentech are currently investigating ProLease in Phase I/II clinical trials in children with growth hormone inadequacy. ProLease is based on Alkermes' ProLease injectable sustained release drug delivery system. It is designed to reduce the need for daily injections of human growth hormone by encapsulating the drug in biodegradable microspheres that slowly release the protein over a period of weeks. Reducing the need for daily injections of growth hormone could provide significant benefits to both physicians and patients.