Ngenla is prescribed for children who are not growing because of low growth hormone levels. It is given by injection under the skin. 
Ngenla is a modified form of human growth hormone which allows weekly dosing. It helps your child’s bones and muscles to grow and also helps their fat and muscle tissue to develop in the right amounts.
Ngenla should not be used in children:
  • who are allergic to somatrogon or any of the ingredients in Ngenla*
  • who have an active tumour and/or malignancy
  • who are seriously ill due to complications following open-heart surgery, abdominal surgery, multiple accidental trauma, 
    or acute respiratory failure
  • whose bones have already finished growing (this is called closure of the growth plates)
* To see the full list of the ingredients in Ngenla, please talk to your child’s doctor or refer to the Patient Medical Information supplied with their Ngenla pen.
Tell your child’s doctor if they:
  • develop visual changes, headaches, a big change in behaviour, nausea, or vomiting 
  •  are treated with daily growth hormone therapy, glucocorticoid replacement therapy, or thyroid hormones
  • have diabetes
  • start to develop a limp while being treated with Ngenla
  • have changes in skin colour or in the appearance of birthmarks or moles on their skin
  • have pain in their hip or knee
  • are pregnant or could become pregnant
  • are breast-feeding or plan to breast-feed
  • have signs of scoliosis
  • have ever had any kind of tumour
  • have Prader-Willi syndrome. There have been reports of sudden deaths in children with Prader-Willi syndrome who were treated with growth hormone and had one or more of the following risk factors: severe obesity, breathing problems, colds or lung infections
  • take any other medications, including any drugs, vitamins, minerals, natural supplements, or alternative medicines
If your child misses a dose of Ngenla, give the missed dose as soon as possible within 3 days after the missed dose. If more than 
3 days have passed, skip the missed dose, and give the next dose on the regularly scheduled day.
If you think your child has taken too much Ngenla, contact a healthcare professional, hospital emergency department, or regional poison control centre immediately, even if there are no symptoms.
Your child’s doctor will show you how to inject Ngenla before they use it for the first time. Do not try to inject Ngenla until you have been shown the right way by their doctor.
Ngenla is injected under the skin (subcutaneously) and can be given in the stomach (abdomen), thighs, buttocks, or upper arms. Rotate the site of injection weekly. Do not inject Ngenla into a muscle (intramuscularly) or vein (intravenously).
Each injection should be given at a different injection site.
Give Ngenla once weekly, on the same day each week, at any time of the day. 
You may change the day of the week you inject Ngenla as long as the last dose was given at least 3 days (more than 72 hours) before. For example, if the last dose was given on a Sunday at 11:00 a.m., the next dose could be taken the following Wednesday 
after 11:00 a.m., or any time on Thursday, Friday, or Saturday. After selecting new day, the once weekly dosing should be continued.
Ngenla prefilled pens are for use by one person only.
Warning icon Do not share your child’s Ngenla prefilled pens and needles with another person, even if the needle has been changed. 
Your child may give another person an infection or get an infection from them.
Warning icon Do not shake your child’s pen—shaking can damage the medicine.
For more detailed instructions on how to inject Ngenla, please see Ngenla administration instructions.
The dosing of Ngenla depends on your child’s size. The recommended dose is 0.66 mg/kg of body weight injected once weekly under the skin (subcutaneously). Your child’s doctor will prescribe the right dose for them.
Note that your child’s doctor may perform regular blood tests to check how they are responding to their treatment. If necessary, their dose may be changed according to their blood test results.
Ngenla should be injected once weekly, on the same day of each week, at any time of the day. The specific day of the week does not matter as long as it’s the same day each week.
You may change the day of the week you inject Ngenla as long as the last dose was given at least 3 days (more than 72 hours) before. For example, if the last dose was given on a Sunday at 11:00 a.m., the next dose could be taken the following Wednesday after 11:00 a.m., or any time on Thursday, Friday, or Saturday. After selecting a new day, the once weekly dosing should be continued.
Side effects may include:
  • At the site of injection:
  • - Pain
  • - Redness
  • - Itching
  • - Swelling and/or local thickening of the skin
  • Fever
  • Cold
  • Headache
If an above side effect becomes bad enough to interfere with your child’s daily activities, talk to their doctor.
These are not all the possible side effects your child may have when taking Ngenla 
Talk to their doctor if they have any side effects not listed here.
You can report any suspected side effects associated with the use of health products to Health Canada by:
Contact your child’s healthcare professional if you need information about how to manage their side effects. 
The Canada Vigilance Program does not provide medical advice.
Still have some unanswered questions about Ngenla? 
Please contact the Ngenla Support Program by calling 1-877-662-8373 or emailing [email protected]