title: Lessons learned from 15 years of KIMS and 5 years of ACROSTUDY.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Pharmacoepidemiological surveys provide a valuable contribution to the continued monitoring of drug-related effects in patients with rare disorders. One of the earliest examples of this type of survey is KIGS (Pfizer International Growth Study Database), which has monitored the safety and effectiveness of growth hormone (GH) therapy in GH-deficient children since its inception in 1987. Following closely in the footsteps of KIGS is KIMS (Pfizer International Metabolic Database). As of 2009, KIMS has been collecting data on the long-term safety and clinical outcomes of GH replacement in GH-deficient adults for 15 years. Approximately 5 years ago, the ACROSTUDY database was established to monitor the long-term safety and effectiveness of pegvisomant in patients with acromegaly.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  By collecting data on the treatment of relatively rare conditions in routine clinical practice, pharmacoepidemiological surveys such as KIMS and ACROSTUDY provide valuable information on the safety and effectiveness of treatment with GH replacement and pegvisomant in the real world.
authors.affiliation: Clinical Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria. anton.luger@meduniwien.ac.at
authors.forename: Anton
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Luger
authors.forename: Ulla
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Feldt-Rasmussen
authors.forename: Roger
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Abs
authors.forename: Rolf C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Gaillard
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Buchfelder
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Trainer
authors.forename: Thierry
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Brue
mesh_terms: D000172:Acromegaly / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D000328:Adult; D016208:Databases, Factual; D064420:Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D020249:Hormone Replacement Therapy; D019382:Human Growth Hormone / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000172:deficiency* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D007334:Insulin-Like Growth Factor I / Q000378:metabolism; D008099:Liver / Q000187:drug effects / Q000201:enzymology; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging
chemical_list: D019382:Human Growth Hormone; D007334:Insulin-Like Growth Factor I; C406545:pegvisomant