A Phase 3 interventional study of Somatropin and Placebo in Adult Growth Hormone Deficiency and Mild Traumatic Brain Injury, sponsored by VA Office of Research and Development. Recruiting at 16 sites in United States. Open to participants aged 21 Years to 55 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-10-13.
Sponsored by VA Office of Research and Development · Phase 3, Interventional, and Treatment
The purpose of this study is to determine whether growth hormone replacement therapy (GHRT) is effective versus placebo in the improvement of Quality of Life in patients with adult growth hormone deficiency (AGHD) and mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI).
252 studies on the registry are indexed under Dwarfism, Pituitary; 30 are open to participants now.
This study's planned enrollment of 172 is above the median of 60 across 169 interventional studies indexed under Dwarfism, Pituitary.
Browse Dwarfism, Pituitary studies →VA Office of Research and Development is the lead sponsor of 1,771 studies on the registry; 392 are open to participants now.
Of its 213 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 185 (87%) have results posted.
Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.
The criteria were revised on the registry on Oct 13, 2026. See what changed
Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.
Exclusion Criteria:
Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Weight in kilograms divided by height in metres squared. Example: 70 kg and 1.75 m gives 70 ÷ (1.75 × 1.75) ≈ 22.9.
What counts as overweight or obesity differs between countries (some use lower cut-offs), so go by the range the study states.
Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.
You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.
A reason a treatment, test or procedure should not be given to a particular person, such as an allergy, another illness or a medicine they take.
Able to become pregnant: from the first period until menopause, unless permanently unable to through surgery (removal of the womb, or of both ovaries or both fallopian tubes).
Criteria for people of childbearing potential usually ask for a negative pregnancy test and for contraception during the study and for a time after it.
Ways of preventing pregnancy. “Highly effective” methods fail less than 1% of the time a year when used correctly — for example an IUD or an implant.
Criteria usually say which methods count and how long to keep using them after the last dose, sometimes for male participants too. Some studies accept a partner’s vasectomy if it was confirmed successful and that person is the participant’s only sexual partner.
Anti-inflammatory medicines such as prednisone, prednisolone and dexamethasone — not the anabolic steroids used for muscle.
Studies differ in what they allow: check which steroid medicines, routes (tablets, injections, creams, inhalers, eye drops) and doses this study accepts.
BMI (body mass index)
Weight in kilograms divided by height in metres squared. Example: 70 kg and 1.75 m gives 70 ÷ (1.75 × 1.75) ≈ 22.9.
What counts as overweight or obesity differs between countries (some use lower cut-offs), so go by the range the study states.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Informed consent
Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.
You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Contraindication
A reason a treatment, test or procedure should not be given to a particular person, such as an allergy, another illness or a medicine they take.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Childbearing potential
Able to become pregnant: from the first period until menopause, unless permanently unable to through surgery (removal of the womb, or of both ovaries or both fallopian tubes).
Criteria for people of childbearing potential usually ask for a negative pregnancy test and for contraception during the study and for a time after it.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Contraception
Ways of preventing pregnancy. “Highly effective” methods fail less than 1% of the time a year when used correctly — for example an IUD or an implant.
Criteria usually say which methods count and how long to keep using them after the last dose, sometimes for male participants too. Some studies accept a partner’s vasectomy if it was confirmed successful and that person is the participant’s only sexual partner.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Corticosteroids (steroids)
Anti-inflammatory medicines such as prednisone, prednisolone and dexamethasone — not the anabolic steroids used for muscle.
Studies differ in what they allow: check which steroid medicines, routes (tablets, injections, creams, inhalers, eye drops) and doses this study accepts.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Recombinant Human Growth Hormone
Drug: Somatropin
Placebo
Other: Placebo
Participants (n=172) will be randomized in a 1:1 ratio to rhGH (n=86) versus placebo (n=86) for six months, stratified by participating site. Both study participants and the study team will be blinded to treatment assignment. All participants will complete in-clinic follow-ups at Days 14, 40, 65, and 90 (3 months) and at day 180 (6 months). The primary outcome will be the mean difference in QoL-AGHDA scores between treatment arms at 6 months follow-up. Patients will discontinue the study intervention at 6 months, and will be followed-up two weeks subsequent, in order to assure patient safety and wellness, and to ensure maximal facilitation of patient transition back into routine care.
Participants (n=172) will be randomized in a 1:1 ratio to rhGH (n=86) versus placebo (n=86) for six months, stratified by participating site. Both study participants and the study team will be blinded to treatment assignment. All participants will complete in-clinic follow-ups at Days 14, 40, 65, and 90 (3 months) and at day 180 (6 months). The primary outcome will be the mean difference in QoL-AGHDA scores between treatment arms at 6 months follow-up. Patients will discontinue the study intervention at 6 months, and will be followed-up two weeks subsequent, in order to assure patient safety and wellness, and to ensure maximal facilitation of patient transition back into routine care.
QoL-AGHDA (Quality of Life-Assessment of Adult Growth Hormone in Adults)
25 question survey on quality of life; The primary objective of CSP #2018 is to determine the efficacy of rhGH, given daily for 6 months, versus placebo to improve QoL, as measured by difference in mean QoL-AGHDA score, among Veterans with a history of mTBI and AGHD (primary outcome). The primary hypothesis is that the investigators, compared to placebo, patients treated with rhGH will exhibit a 3.5-point lower mean score (higher quality of life) in QoL-AGHDA at 6 months. QoL-AGHDA: minimum score=0 (high QoL: best outcome); maximum score=25 (low QoL: worst outcome).
Time frame: 6 months
Body Composition
DEXA (Dual-Energy x-ray absorptiometry); The secondary objective of CSP #2018 is to investigate the efficacy of rhGH vs placebo on long-term surrogate outcomes: a) body composition, assessed through dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) and b) cardiometabolic risk factors including lipids, autonomic function, and highly sensitive C-reactive protein. The specific hypotheses for these outcomes are that compared to placebo there will be a 4.5% mean reduction in total truncal body fat percentage and a mean reduction of 10 mg/dL in LDL serum levels after 6 months of treatment and follow-up of rhGH.
Time frame: 6 months
Depressive and Anxiety Symptoms measured by Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21)
Tertiary endpoint of interest: Depressive and anxiety symptoms measured by DASS-21 scores and post-traumatic stress symptoms measured by the PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 are expected to be lower (improved) within the rhGH arm after 6 months of therapy compared to the placebo arm.
Time frame: 6 months
Cognition
Tertiary endpoint of interest: Cognitive functioning will be assessed the Color Word Interference Test for cognitive flexibility and inhibition; the Digit Span test for working memory capacity; the Trail Making Test for processing speed, cognitive flexibility, and attention; the Grooved Pegboard for fine motor control and coordination; the Letter Fluency Test for verbal fluency and executive function; and the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test for verbal learning, memory, and attention. All test scores will be converted to z-scores, which standardize the results based on the mean and standard deviation of the normative sample, then averaged to generate a composite score, with higher scores indicating better performance relative to the normative sample. Both, individual test scores and the composite score will be analyzed to evaluate whether six-month recombinant human Growth Hormone treatment has any significant effect on cognitive performance.
Time frame: 6 months
Severity of Fatigue Symptoms
Tertiary endpoint of interest: Severity of fatigue symptoms measured by the Patient Health Questionnaire 15-item somatic symptom severity scale PHQ-15 are expected to improve after 6 months of rhGH therapy compared to the placebo arm.
Time frame: 6 months
Sleep Quality
Exploratory objective and hypothesis: Sleep quality as measured by the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index Score (PSQI). The investigators hypothesize that subjective measures of sleep quality and daytime sleepiness will significantly improve in the active arm compared to placebo.
Time frame: 6 months
Chronic Pain Assessment
Exploratory objective and hypothesis: Chronic pain assessed using the Defense Veterans Pain Report System-II (DVPRS-II); hypothesize that pain severity and pain interference with activities of daily living will be significantly reduced among participants receiving GHRT compared to placebo.
Time frame: 6 months
Not enrolling at this site.
Plan to share: Yes — Digital data underlying primary scientific publications from this study will be held as part of a data sharing resource maintained by the Cooperative Studies Program (VA-CSP). These data may be available to the public and other VA and non-VA researchers under certain conditions and consistent with the informed consent and CSP policy which prioritize protecting subjects' privacy and confidentiality to the fullest extent possible.
No publications or documents are linked to this record.
Started Jan 2025 (actual). Primary completion is estimated for Feb 2027, 25 months after the start.
Of 19 phase 3 interventional studies under Dwarfism, Pituitary, half reached primary completion within 24 months of starting (the median), counting those still running; a quarter within 18 and three quarters within 30. This study's planned 25 months is close to that.
How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.
From the registry record's own update history. This site started tracking changes on Sep 25, 2026; for anything earlier, see the record history on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
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Studies of the drug tested here: Human Growth Hormone
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