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Article: IROs Help Determine Medical Necessity of Growth Hormone Therapy.
- Article from:
- Biotech Week
- Article date:
- April 29, 2009
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Today the human growth hormone (HGH) industry approaches $2 billion a year. It claims benefits for enhancing athletic performance, anti-aging and stimulating growth. Unfortunately, many of these remain unproven says NAIRO, trade association of independent review organizations (IROs) whose members see daily requests from health plans asking about the medical necessity of growth hormone therapies (www.nairo.org) (see also Hormones).
Because of its dangers, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) tightly controls HGH and prohibits doctors from prescribing it for any use the agency has not specifically approved. For example, if doctors prescribe the drug to enhance ...