Groundbreaking new drug to help children with dwarfism

A new wonder drug is showing promise in boosting the growth of children with the most common form of dwarfism.

Professor Ravi Savarirayan from the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute found children with achondroplasia grew an average of two centimetres more than usual on the drug, which is almost the same growth rate as their peers.

“The condition is like driving your car with the handbrake on. The bones don’t grow quite as fast,” Professor Ravi told 3AW Breakfast. “What this drug does is take the handbrake off and allow more regular growth to resume.”

The drug, “a bit like an insulin injection once a day”, could also decrease medical complications, such as spinal issues, which occur as a result of the condition.

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