A Study to Evaluate the Efficacy of Somatropin in the Treatment of Patellar Tendinopathy

Patellar tendinopathy is one of the most frequent causes of non-traumatic knee pain and
reduced function in patients. Standard treatment options for patellar tendinopathies include
non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, corticosteroids, cryotherapy, manual therapy,
eccentric exercises, and ultrasound. Unfortunately many patients fail to respond to these
therapies and return to normal activity levels, and recurrence rates for those who do respond
are unacceptably high. Many patients who fail to respond display persistent degenerative
changes on imaging studies suggesting a failure to regenerate the pathological tissue.
Developing new therapies that can directly promote the synthesis of new, healthy
extracellular matrix tissue could therefore address an important therapeutic need and make a
substantial improvement in our ability to effectively treat patellar tendinopathy and reduce
recurrence rates. Somatropin (human growth hormone of recombinant DNA origin) has been shown
to increase protein synthesis and matrix production when delivered directly into the tendon.
This study will evaluate the ability of somatropin to improve clinical outcomes and tissue
quality in patients with chronic tendinopathy.