October 3, 2025
SEOUL – South Korea recorded its highest-ever number of growth hormone prescriptions for children in 2024, a report revealed Thursday, despite rising cases of side effects.
According to data submitted to Rep. Nam In-soon of the Democratic Party of Korea by the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service, the nation’s health care watchdog, prescriptions for under-19s exceeded 1.62 million last year. Spending reached 159.2 billion won ($114 million).
The data covers the period from 2020 to 2024. Prescriptions not covered by Korea’s National Health Insurance Service were not included. The NHIS only covers pediatric patients diagnosed with growth disorders. Hospitals are allowed to prescribe the drug to children within the normal growth range, though such cases are not covered by NHIS.
Over the four years, prescriptions nearly doubled from 895,000 in 2020. The annual figures rose constantly to 1.02 million in 2021, 1.26 million in 2022 and 1.56 million in 2023. Spending also climbed 2.6 times from 59.6 billion won in 2020.
The largest share — and the sharpest growth — was among children aged 10 to 14.
Prescriptions for boys in this age group jumped 145 percent from 259,000 in 2020 to more than 646,000 in 2024, with spending up 244 percent to 60 billion won.
Girls in the same age group recorded a 120 percent rise in prescriptions to 468,000, while spending over 225 percent more to 46.9 billion won.
Adverse reactions increased at a faster rate than prescriptions, up 175 percent from 660 in 2020. They were also more serious. Of the the 1,809 cases reported in 2024, 165 were classified as serious — including pneumonia, appendicitis and high fever — compared with nine in 2020.
Illegal online sales and advertising of growth hormone drugs also surged, with detected cases rising from two in 2021 to 111 as of August this year.
“Growth hormone injections are meant for patients with secretion disorders, deficiencies or Turner syndrome, but they are being misused as so-called ‘height shots,’” said Nam, who serves on the Assembly’s Health and Welfare Committee.
“With serious side effects and illegal online sales on the rise, the Health Ministry and the Food and Drug Safety Ministry must step up monitoring and prepare stronger institutional measures.”
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