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Lookup NU author(s): Emeritus Professor Timothy Cheetham, Dr Claire WoodORCiD
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).
© The Author(s) 2026. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Endocrine Society. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted reuse, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. See the journal About page for additional terms.Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of 24-weekly decapeptyl SR (Triptorelin) treatment, compared with the 12-weekly regimen, in children with central precocious puberty (CPP). Methods: A multicenter retrospective cohort study was conducted on patients with CPP treated with gonadotropin-releasing hormone analog (GnRHa) therapy between September 2008 and December 2024. Participants were recruited from 3 tertiary pediatric endocrinology centers in the United Kingdom: the Royal London Hospital (Barts Health NHS Trust), Sheffield Children's Hospital (Sheffield Children's NHS Foundation Trust), and the Royal Victoria Infirmary (Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust). Patients received either Decapeptyl SR 11.25 mg every 12 weeks or 22.5 mg every 24 weeks. Clinical, biochemical, and radiological data were collected at baseline and follow-up to assess hypothalamic–pituitary–gonadal (HPG) axis suppression and pubertal progression. Results: Of 247 patients reviewed (220 girls and 27 boys), 164 were eligible for analysis: 69 in Group 1 (12 weekly) and 95 in Group 2 (24 weekly). Both regimens achieved effective HPG axis suppression, with no significant differences in luteinizing hormone, follicle-stimulating hormone, or sex steroid concentrations. Clinical outcomes, including height velocity, body mass index, and Tanner staging, were comparable. The 24-weekly preparation was well-tolerated and demonstrated equivalent suppression of pubertal progression. Among patients who expressed a preference, all favored the 24-weekly schedule. Conclusion: This UK multicenter study provides evidence that 24-weekly Decapeptyl SR is both efficacious and well-tolerated for the management of CPP, with comparable outcomes to the standard 12-weekly regimen. This is the first comparative analysis to establish clinical equivalence between these 2 regimens, which is particularly important given the reduced frequency of clinical monitoring in the longer-acting preparation. Fewer injections may improve adherence and patient satisfaction, alongside potential cost savings.
Author(s): Varughese R, Lake L, Kothayan B, Ahmed NS, Aitken K, Bhavsar K, Edwards J, Newsome A, Pinto SPS, Thomas D, Woodhouse A, Russell J, O'Sullivan JP, Connolly E, Sharratt I, Cheetham T, Elder CJ, Wood CL, Howard SR
Publication type: Article
Publication status: Published
Journal: Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism
Year: 2026
Volume: 111
Issue: 8
Pages: e1973-e1982
Print publication date: 01/08/2026
Online publication date: 06/03/2026
Acceptance date: 02/03/2026
Date deposited: 27/07/2026
ISSN (print): 0021-972X
ISSN (electronic): 1945-7197
Publisher: Endocrine Society
URL: https://doi.org/10.1210/clinem/dgag096
DOI: 10.1210/clinem/dgag096
Data Access Statement: Some or all datasets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study are not publicly available but are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request
PubMed id: 41793064
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