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Why the cadaver-derived hormone was withdrawn and recombinant protein took its place

Published 24 October 2026 · REVIVE LAB UAE Research Desk · 5 min read
Maurice Raben reported in 1958 that growth hormone extracted from human pituitaries could restore growth in a child with deficiency, and for the next twenty-seven years the hormone was prepared from pooled post-mortem glands. In 1985 the first cases of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease were reported in young adults who had received the extract, the prion having survived the extraction process. Distribution stopped that year, and recombinant somatropin, approved months later, became the only source.

The pituitary era

Growth hormone is species-specific: animal hormone does not act in humans, so there was no alternative to human glands. National programmes collected pituitaries, pooled them in large batches and extracted the hormone. Supply never met demand.

Raben published the first successful treatment in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism in 1958.

What 1985 showed

Prions are resistant to the chemical steps that inactivate viruses and bacteria, and a single contaminated gland in a pool could contaminate a whole batch. Cases continued to appear for decades after exposure because of the long incubation. Over two hundred cases were eventually attributed to the extracts worldwide.

The episode is one of the foundational cases in biological product safety.

What it established

That a human-derived biological carries risks a recombinant one does not, and that fermentation from a defined cell line with a defined sequence is the safer route for a therapeutic protein. Every somatropin made since is recombinant.

Somatropin is supplied by REVIVE LAB UAE for laboratory research use only, with identity and purity documented for the batch. It is not for human or veterinary use, and no dosing, administration or protocol guidance is provided.

What it costs

FormatStrengthPriceAvailability
HGH Somatropin Pack24 mg (72 IU)AED 850In stock

Delivery is AED 40 flat and free on orders over AED 700. Payment is cash on delivery anywhere in the UAE, or USDT (TRC20) in advance, which takes 5% off the order total.

Frequently asked

The pituitary era?

Growth hormone is species-specific: animal hormone does not act in humans, so there was no alternative to human glands. National programmes collected pituitaries, pooled them in large batches and extracted the hormone. Supply never met demand.

Does REVIVE LAB UAE provide dosing guidance?

No. REVIVE LAB UAE supplies research materials and provides no dosing, administration or protocol guidance of any kind. Every product is sold for laboratory research use only and is not for human or veterinary consumption.

How fast is delivery in the UAE?

Stock is held in Dubai. An order confirmed before 4 PM Dubai time is dispatched the same working day, reaching Dubai and Abu Dhabi the same day and the remaining emirates within 24 hours. Delivery is AED 40 flat and free over AED 700.

HGH Somatropin Pack — in stock, dispatched from Dubai
HPLC-verified, lot certificate on every carton, 24-hour delivery nationwide. Browse the catalogue → All peptides UAE

Related reading

→ HGH Somatropin Pack — 24 mg (72 IU) → Recombinant growth hormone, 1979 → Host-cell protein and residual DNA

Supplied for laboratory research use only. Not for human or veterinary consumption. REVIVE LAB UAE provides no dosing, administration or protocol guidance.