Bergen Record

November 19, 1998, THURSDAY ; ALL EDITIONS

SECTION: NEWS; Pg. A1

LENGTH: 1042 words

HEADLINE: LAST SHOT AT YOUTH? ;
AGING TURN TO UNPROVEN HORMONE DRUG

BYLINE: MARY JO LAYTON, Staff Writer

BODY:
Louis Russo pulls the skin on his thigh taut and injects himself
with human growth hormone, the latest and controversial weapon in a
growing arsenal to combat aging.

"Gross," his teenage daughter mutters as the inch-long needle
penetrates his muscular leg. But the 49-year-old Short Hills financier
is unfazed.

This is a serious war, and only extreme measures will do.

For Russo and many of his graying brethren with uber incomes, human
growth hormone has become the must-have in the fight to zap budding
paunches, sagging bottoms, thinning cheeks, and just plain tired-out
bodies.

It is, many believe, the ultimate elixir for mortals who can't find
peace in their aging physiques, even after jogging miles on treadmills,
pounding antioxidants, and turning their bodies into fat-free and
boozeless temples.

"The older you get, the harder you have to work," Russo said. "If I
can change that and I can afford it, I'm going for it."

At $ 1,000 to $ 1,600 a month, human growth hormone, or hGH, is an
expensive venture for people trying to turn back the clock and, federal
health officials say, an untested and potentially dangerous one.

Because it's untested, statistics are hard to come by. But one
anti-aging expert estimates that as many as 30,000 older Americans are
injecting themselves with the hormone.

Last month, alarmed at the increase in the number of people using
hGH as an anti-aging weapon, doctors representing the American
Association of Clinical Endocrinologists issued a warning that the
treatment may pose health risks, a concern shared by other authorities.

"We do not advise using human growth hormone," said Karin Colsky,
a spokeswoman for the National Institute on Aging, a federal arm of the
National Institutes of Health.

"Its efficacy has not been proven, and there are known side
effects," Colsky said. Those side effects include diabetes, carpal
tunnel syndrome, and high blood pressure.

But the National Institute on Aging, encouraged by a study that
revealed an increase in muscle mass and other changes in older men who
had taken hGH, has sponsored nine clinical trials with some results
expected early next year.

"Our interest in human growth hormone therapy is to see if we can
preserve bone and muscle strength to maintain mobility and independence
in older people for as long as possible," said Dr. Stanley Slater,
deputy associate director of geriatrics for the institute.

"We're not interested in the same thing as the plastic surgery
crowd," Slater said.

Advocates of the therapy believe that by restoring hormone levels
to those commonly found in a 30-year-old, considered peak fitness, the
body will function better, resist more illness, and appear much younger.

The goal isn't to extend life, only to improve it.

Human growth hormone is made naturally by the pituitary gland and
helps regulate development and maintain tissues and organs. The body
produces less as people age.

For years, doctors have prescribed hGH mainly to treat dwarfism in
children and growth deficiency in adults.

The federal Food and Drug Administration allows doctors to
prescribe the drug for other purposes, but it may not be marketed for
anything other than its original use.

Before 1985, hGH could be obtained only from cadavers. Today,
several pharmaceutical companies make the hormone in bacteria using
genetic-engineering techniques to produce a virtually unlimited,
although very expensive, supply.

In North Jersey, the cutting-edge therapy isn't as common as
chemical peels, face lifts, liposuction, or breast implants. Several
doctors polled by The Record said they were unaware of hGH being used in
an attempt to reverse aging.

But in Manhattan's wealthy enclaves, some internists are devoting
their entire practices to hGH and other anti-aging therapies, and their
clientele includes New Jersey residents eager to shed some years.

Dr. Ronald Livesey, a Manhattan internist who treats Russo and
about 100 other patients, believes he has found the fountain of youth.

"It has changed my body, my mind, my life," said Livesey, 53, who
has taken hGH for 2 1/2 years.

Without changing his diet, he said, he lost 42 pounds, dropped 6
inches from his waist, and lowered his cholesterol. His immune system
has strengthened, too. "I haven't had a cold in 2 1/2 years," he said.

It was a testimonial that impressed Russo.

After logging 12 hours on Wall Street on a recent day, Russo
returned home, injected the hormone, put in a 40-minute workout on his
customized treadmill, showered, dabbed himself with testosterone creme,
and ingested melatonin and other supplements, which he believes will
turn the clock back some years.

Russo spends nearly $ 1,000 monthly on the regimen, easily
affordable with an income that approaches seven figures. His four
children are skeptical about the therapy, but his wife is intrigued and
may consider the injections herself.

He reports subtle changes in the month since he started using hGH.

"In terms of running, my stamina has picked up, "he said. His
sleep, which has averaged five or six hours for years, has been deeper.

Aware of the federal warnings, Russo said he'll discontinue the
therapy if the clinical trials yield negative results.

Proponents of hGH claim that early in the next millennium, the
hormone commonly will be prescribed to reverse the aging process.

Just as many post-menopausal women receive hormone replacement
therapy, so will hundreds of thousands of people replace depleting
hormones, they say.

By then, the cost of hGH will be dramatically lower because its
patent expires in 2002, and a pill most likely will have replaced the
needle.

"The potential marketplace will not be measured in the millions,
but in the tens of billions," said Dr. Ronald Klatz, president of the
American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine in Chicago. Its motto is "Aging
is not inevitable."

The treatment will be discussed at a conference on anti-aging
medicine that Klatz's organization is holding next month in Las Vegas,
Nevada. The event is expected to draw 400 physicians who are pioneers

GRAPHIC: COLOR PHOTO - CARMINE GALASSO / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER - Dr. Ronald Livesey injecting himself with human growth hormone to fight aging. The Manhattan internist believes he has found the fountain of youth, and he treats his patients with the hormone.

LOAD-DATE: September 20, 1999