Last Updated: June 26, 2026

CLINICAL TRIALS PROFILE FOR THYROGEN


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All Clinical Trials for THYROGEN

Trial ID Title Status Sponsor Phase Start Date Summary
NCT00001730 ↗ Study of Radioiodine (131-I) Uptake Following Administration of Thyrogen and Hypothyroid States During Thyroid Hormone Withdrawal. Completed National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) Phase 4 1997-12-01 Thyroid cancer is typically treated with surgery, radiation or a combination of both. Following surgical removal of thyroid tissue patients receive thyroid hormone replacement medication. In addition patients undergo tests to determine the status of the disease. One of the tests conducted is a whole body scan using radioactive iodine to detect and locate any remaining cancerous thyroid tissue. Thyroid tissue uses iodine to make thyroid hormones (T3 and T4). In order for a radioiodine scan to work, cancerous thyroid tissue must be "hungry" for iodine. Thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) produced in the pituitary gland is responsible for making thyroid tissue "hungry" for iodine. Once thyroid tissue absorbs the radioactive iodine it will be clearly visible on the scan and can be located for removal. However, thyroid hormone replacement medication tends to lower the activity of the pituitary gland and the amount of naturally produced TSH. So it is necessary to stop thyroid hormone replacement to increase TSH. A problem arises when there is a lack of thyroid hormone replacement causing patients to experience hypothyroidism. This condition is associated with unpleasant physical and emotional symptoms. TSH has been created in a laboratory and called Thyrogen. It is basically the same as the TSH produced in the human pituitary gland. However, Thyrogen increases the level of TSH in the body without having to stop thyroid replacement medication. Therefore patients will not experience hypothyroidism while preparing for a radioactive iodine scan. The objective of this study is to compare the activity of radioiodine (131I) in patients taking Thyrogen with normal thyroid activity versus patients with hypothyroid activity after thyroid replacement medication is withdrawn. In addition the study will provide information on how radioactive iodine is eliminated from the body. The study will help researchers understand how to give Thyrogen and radioiodine for purposes of scanning and therapeutic ablation (the destruction of function) of cancerous thyroid tissue. The study will accept patients with non-medullary thyroid cancer who are preparing for ablation therapy. The patients will be placed in one of two groups. Group one will receive Thyrogen in 2 doses 24 hours apart. Group two will receive Thyrogen in 3 doses 72 hours apart. The patients will undergo two 131I whole body scans: one after Thyrogen while taking thyroid hormone suppressive and the second after withdrawal from thyroid hormone. 131I ablative therapy will be given under hypothyroid conditions at the completion of the study.
NCT00085293 ↗ Decitabine in Treating Patients With Metastatic Papillary Thyroid Cancer or Follicular Thyroid Cancer Unresponsive to Iodine I 131 Completed National Cancer Institute (NCI) Phase 2 2004-05-01 This phase II trial is studying how well decitabine works in treating patients with metastatic papillary thyroid cancer or follicular thyroid cancer that has stopped responding to radioactive iodine. Iodine I 131 (radioactive iodine) kills thyroid cancer cells. Metastatic thyroid cancer cells can lose the ability to be treated with radioactive iodine. Decitabine may help thyroid cancer cells regain the ability to respond to treatment with radioactive iodine.
NCT00137891 ↗ Study Comparing Thyrogen Versus a Modified Release of Recombinant Human Thyroid Stimulating Hormone Completed Genzyme, a Sanofi Company Phase 1 2005-06-01 Forty-six (46) eligible, healthy subjects who provide written informed consent will be enrolled to participate in a 2 arm parallel group study to assess and compare the pharmacokinetics and safety profile of Thyrogen dosed at 0.1 mg versus a modified release formulation of recombinant human thyroid stimulating hormone (rhTSH) dosed at 0.1 mg. Ten (10) of these subjects will have the thyroid uptake of radioiodine (123I) measured at baseline and following their single dose of study medication. All doses will be administered via intramuscular (IM) injection. Following confirmation of study eligibility, subjects will be randomized in a 1:1 ratio to receive either a single administration of 0.1 mg of Thyrogen (THYR) or 0.1 mg of the modified release. Randomization will be stratified by whether or not patients will have the thyroid uptake of radioiodine (123I) measured following their single dose of study medication. Five (5) patients in each treatment arm will have uptake measured, while 18 in each arm will not. Each subject will have blood samples taken to determine the pharmacokinetics of serum TSH at -12 hours and just prior to dosing and at various hours up to 14 days following the administration of Thyrogen or the modified release formulation. In addition, for the evaluation of pharmacodynamics, each subject will have samples of blood taken to determine serum free T4, total T4, free T3, and total T3 at -12 hours and just prior to dosing and at various hours up to 14 days following the administration of study treatments. All subjects will undergo a 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) just prior to dose administration and 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 10 and 14 days following study treatment administration. In addition, subjects will undergo 24 hours of Holter monitoring at baseline and four (4) consecutive 24-hour Holter monitoring sessions post treatment to yield a total of 96 hours of continuous monitoring of cardiac function following treatment administration. All subjects will undergo ultrasound evaluations to determine thyroid volume at baseline and 48 hours following treatment administration. Twenty-four hours following the administration of Thyrogen or the modified release formulation, a subset of five (5) subjects in each treatment arm will receive a dose of 123I prepared to be 400µCi on the day of radioiodine administration based on the utilized nuclear pharmacy's calibration schedule. Thyroid gland uptake will be measured via a probe in these 10 subjects at 6, 24 and 48 hours following radioiodine administration. Blood chemistry, complete blood count (CBC), urinalysis and a physical exam will be conducted 14 days after treatment administration, or at the time of early termination, as a final safety assessment. Each subject's duration of study participation will be approximately 4 weeks.
NCT00196729 ↗ Comparison of the Safety and Successful Ablation of Thyroid Remnant in Post-thyroidectomized Euthyroid Patients (i.e. Patients Administered Thyrogen) Versus Hypothyroid Patients (no Thyrogen) Following 131I Administration Completed Genzyme, a Sanofi Company Phase 3 2001-12-01 This study was conducted in patients with differentiated thyroid cancer who had undergone near-total thyroidectomy. After surgery patients were randomized to one of two methods of performing thyroid remnant ablation (use of radioiodine to remove any remaining thyroid tissue). One group of patients who took thyroid hormone medicine and were euthyroid [i.e. their thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) levels are normal], and received injections of Thyrogen (0.9 mg daily on two consecutive days) followed by oral radioiodine. The second group of patients did not take thyroid hormone medicine so that they were hypothyroid (i.e. their TSH levels were high), and were given oral radioiodine. All patients received the same amount of radioactive iodine (100 mCi or 3.7 GBq of 131I). Approximately 8 months later, whole body scans were performed on all patients to learn whether the thyroid remnants had been successfully ablated. The safety profile of Thyrogen when used for radioiodine remnant ablation also was assessed. The Quality of Life, the radioiodine uptake and retention into the thyroid bed, as well as radiation exposure to the remainder of the body also were assessed in both groups of patients.
NCT00295763 ↗ A New Study to Follow-up Thyroid Cancer Patients Who Participated in a Previous Study, Which Compared the Success of Destruction of the Thyroid Remnant Using Standard Treatment or Thyrogen. Completed Genzyme, a Sanofi Company Phase 3 2006-05-01 Patients diagnosed with thyroid cancer are commonly treated with surgery to remove their thyroid gland followed by radioiodine ablation to destroy any remaining parts of the thyroid gland that may have been missed during surgery. It is thought that ablation with radioiodine destroys normal remaining thyroid tissue as well as cancerous cells either in the thyroid area or at other sites. Following successful treatment, patients are then monitored by their physicians at regular intervals with testing to detect any recurrence of thyroid cancer throughout the body. If thyroid cells are detected by these follow up tests, the physician will decide the best method to re-treat the patient. In 2001-2003 Genzyme conducted a clinical study to test if Thyrogen® can be used to accomplish radioiodine ablation treatment. This study aimed to determine that the success rates of radioiodine ablation were comparable when patients were prepared for ablation with Thyrogen® while being maintained on their normal thyroid hormone therapy, or, alternatively, by thyroid hormone withdrawal. Thyroid hormone withdrawal commonly causes uncomfortable side effects for patients, and these might be avoided by the use of Thyrogen. Eight months after the initial Thyrogen plus radioiodine treatment to achieve ablation, all patients in both groups were given Thyrogen® to test for any remaining thyroid tissue. The results of this testing showed that all patients (in both groups) had successfully achieved remnant ablation and had no detectable thyroid tissue remaining. In order to confirm these remnant ablation results we will conduct follow up testing in this study for all patients that were enrolled in the previous study and we also will determine if their thyroid cancer has recurred. Only patients who completed this previous Thyrogen ablation study are eligible for entry into this study.
NCT00435851 ↗ Medico-Economic Comparison of Four Strategies of Radioiodine Ablation in Thyroid Carcinoma Patients Unknown status National Cancer Institute, France Phase 3 2007-02-01 In France, 3,700 new cases of thyroid cancer are diagnosed each year. Differentiated thyroid carcinoma represents more than 90% of all thyroid cancers; and has a 10-year survival of 90-95% of patients. This favorable prognosis is the result of an effective primary therapy, which consists of a total thyroidectomy that is followed by radio-iodine ablation with 3,7GBq (100mCi) in case of significant risk of persistent disease. Few centers investigated the possibility to administer lower doses of 131I (1GBq, 30 mCi), in order to limit the potential long-term adverse complications for patients and to respond to radioprotection rules for family members and medical staff. Radio-iodine ablation requires TSH stimulation, which was historically achieved by thyroid hormone withdrawal for 3 to 5 weeks. During this period, patients suffered from symptoms of hypothyroidism. The recombinant human TSH (rhTSH, Thyrogen®, Genzyme Therapeutics, Cambridge, USA) was approved in Europe in 2005 as an alternative stimulation procedure to withdrawal during ablation. It allows patients to remain euthyroid on thyroid hormone therapy (that needs not to be withdrawn). However, this a costly drug (800 € per patient), whose economic efficiency needs to be checked.
NCT00435851 ↗ Medico-Economic Comparison of Four Strategies of Radioiodine Ablation in Thyroid Carcinoma Patients Unknown status Gustave Roussy, Cancer Campus, Grand Paris Phase 3 2007-02-01 In France, 3,700 new cases of thyroid cancer are diagnosed each year. Differentiated thyroid carcinoma represents more than 90% of all thyroid cancers; and has a 10-year survival of 90-95% of patients. This favorable prognosis is the result of an effective primary therapy, which consists of a total thyroidectomy that is followed by radio-iodine ablation with 3,7GBq (100mCi) in case of significant risk of persistent disease. Few centers investigated the possibility to administer lower doses of 131I (1GBq, 30 mCi), in order to limit the potential long-term adverse complications for patients and to respond to radioprotection rules for family members and medical staff. Radio-iodine ablation requires TSH stimulation, which was historically achieved by thyroid hormone withdrawal for 3 to 5 weeks. During this period, patients suffered from symptoms of hypothyroidism. The recombinant human TSH (rhTSH, Thyrogen®, Genzyme Therapeutics, Cambridge, USA) was approved in Europe in 2005 as an alternative stimulation procedure to withdrawal during ablation. It allows patients to remain euthyroid on thyroid hormone therapy (that needs not to be withdrawn). However, this a costly drug (800 € per patient), whose economic efficiency needs to be checked.
>Trial ID >Title >Status >Phase >Start Date >Summary

Clinical Trial Conditions for THYROGEN

Condition Name

Condition Name for THYROGEN
Intervention Trials
Thyroid Cancer 6
Differentiated Thyroid Cancer 3
Thyroid Neoplasms 2
Low Risk Differentiated Thyroid Cancer 1
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Condition MeSH

Condition MeSH for THYROGEN
Intervention Trials
Thyroid Diseases 17
Thyroid Neoplasms 17
Thyroid Cancer, Papillary 3
Hypothyroidism 2
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Clinical Trial Locations for THYROGEN

Trials by Country

Trials by Country for THYROGEN
Location Trials
United States 18
Germany 3
France 3
Italy 2
Spain 1
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Trials by US State

Trials by US State for THYROGEN
Location Trials
Maryland 4
New York 3
Colorado 3
Texas 2
Ohio 2
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Clinical Trial Progress for THYROGEN

Clinical Trial Phase

Clinical Trial Phase for THYROGEN
Clinical Trial Phase Trials
PHASE2 1
Phase 4 2
Phase 3 4
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Clinical Trial Status

Clinical Trial Status for THYROGEN
Clinical Trial Phase Trials
Completed 12
Recruiting 4
Active, not recruiting 3
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Clinical Trial Sponsors for THYROGEN

Sponsor Name

Sponsor Name for THYROGEN
Sponsor Trials
Genzyme, a Sanofi Company 4
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center 3
National Cancer Institute (NCI) 3
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Sponsor Type

Sponsor Type for THYROGEN
Sponsor Trials
Industry 12
Other 12
NIH 5
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Last updated: May 4, 2026

THYROGEN (thyrotropin alfa) Clinical Trials Update and Market Forecast

What is THYROGEN and how is it positioned commercially?

THYROGEN is recombinant human thyrotropin (rhTSH), marketed in the U.S. as thyrotropin alfa (Brand: THYROGEN) for diagnostic radioactive iodine (RAI) imaging and for adjuvant preparation for RAI remnant ablation in selected patients with differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC). The product supports a shift away from hypothyroidism induced by thyroid hormone withdrawal by enabling a rapid TSH stimulus while avoiding the symptom burden of low thyroid hormone states.

Regulatory scope (label-driven):

  • Indication class: DTC management with RAI procedures after thyroid hormone withdrawal is no longer necessary in the indicated settings because THYROGEN raises TSH.
  • Clinical role: Enables RAI imaging or treatment by stimulating endogenous thyroid tissue uptake through controlled TSH elevation (package-label language across jurisdictions).

Competitive landscape:

  • THYROGEN’s direct competitive set is limited to other rhTSH products and thyroid hormone withdrawal strategies.
  • In markets where another rhTSH brand exists, THYROGEN competes primarily on price, contracting, and access, since clinical protocols are broadly similar (TSH stimulation prior to RAI).

What clinical evidence supports THYROGEN in its key use-cases?

Clinical evidence for rhTSH products in DTC focuses on two pillars: (1) RAI diagnostic performance under rhTSH stimulation, and (2) RAI remnant ablation outcomes when used instead of thyroid hormone withdrawal.

Core clinical endpoints used across pivotal programs:

  • RAI uptake / imaging detectability
  • Remnant ablation success rates
  • Thyroid cancer response categories (risk-adapted endpoints in long-term follow-up)
  • Safety and tolerability (rates of hypothyroidism-related symptoms and lab changes)

Evidence pattern across rhTSH development:

  • Patients experience less biochemical hypothyroidism duration than withdrawal protocols.
  • RAI imaging and ablation outcomes are designed to be comparable to withdrawal arms while reducing morbidity related to hypothyroid state.

What is the latest clinical trials update for THYROGEN?

A complete “latest” clinical trials update requires a live registry pull (e.g., ClinicalTrials.gov or other registries) and the current status of all THYROGEN-attributed protocols by sponsor, trial ID, and geography. No such registry dataset is provided in the prompt, and no THYROGEN-specific trial list with dates, enrollment, and status can be produced accurately without it.

Result: No compliant clinical trials update can be delivered.


What is the market structure for rhTSH in differentiated thyroid cancer?

The market for THYROGEN is driven by the incidence of differentiated thyroid cancer, the proportion of patients eligible for RAI diagnostic imaging and/or remnant ablation, and payer preference for rhTSH-based pathways.

Demand drivers:

  • DTC patient volumes (incidence trend)
  • Uptake of RAI-based management pathways
  • Share of care using rhTSH versus thyroid hormone withdrawal
  • Reimbursement and hospital contracting dynamics for RAI workflows

Friction points:

  • Cost of rhTSH versus withdrawal strategy
  • Capacity constraints in nuclear medicine workflows
  • Formulary access restrictions and prior authorization practices

What are the key payer and guideline mechanics shaping adoption?

Adoption of rhTSH is shaped less by efficacy differentiation and more by operational and reimbursement mechanics:

  • Payer preference: Many payers steer toward lower total episode cost unless rhTSH reduces downstream costs and improves patient throughput.
  • Guideline alignment: RhTSH use is protocolized within DTC pathways where RAI imaging or ablation is planned.
  • Provider workflow: Hospitals favor standardized pathways because rhTSH reduces the duration and severity of hypothyroid symptoms, lowering operational burden.

What market projections can be produced for THYROGEN?

Accurate projection requires numeric inputs that are not provided in the prompt: baseline market size, explicit adoption rates by region, competitive pricing assumptions, dosing volumes per patient, and near-term launch or patent-expiration dynamics for rhTSH competitors.

Result: No compliant market projection can be produced.


What business-critical signals should investors and R&D teams track for THYROGEN?

Even without new numeric forecasts, decision-grade signals fall into three buckets that determine THYROGEN trajectory:

  1. Contracting and net price
    • Hospital acquisition channel mix (GPO, IDN contracts, specialty pharmacy distribution)
    • Rebates and outcomes-based contracting terms if applicable
  2. Utilization rate
    • Share of DTC patients proceeding to RAI diagnostic imaging or ablation
    • RhTSH share vs thyroid hormone withdrawal within covered indications
  3. Competitive and policy environment
    • Availability of alternative rhTSH products (if present in specific markets)
    • Payer policy updates that alter prior authorization thresholds

Key Takeaways

  • THYROGEN (thyrotropin alfa) is a rhTSH product used to stimulate RAI imaging and/or remnant ablation in differentiated thyroid cancer to avoid prolonged hypothyroidism from thyroid hormone withdrawal in indicated workflows.
  • A clinical trials update for “latest” THYROGEN-specific programs cannot be produced without an up-to-date registry pull and trial status dataset.
  • A market analysis and numeric projection for THYROGEN cannot be produced without baseline market figures, utilization/adoption inputs, and competitive pricing or policy assumptions.

FAQs

1) What does THYROGEN treat or support?

THYROGEN supports TSH stimulation for radioactive iodine diagnostic imaging and remnant ablation in selected patients with differentiated thyroid cancer.

2) Is THYROGEN used instead of thyroid hormone withdrawal?

In its indicated protocols, THYROGEN is used to raise TSH without requiring the full thyroid hormone withdrawal that induces hypothyroidism.

3) What are the most important clinical endpoints for rhTSH in DTC?

RAI imaging detectability, remnant ablation success, response outcomes in follow-up, and safety/tolerability focusing on hypothyroidism-related symptom burden.

4) What determines THYROGEN demand most in the market?

The number of DTC patients undergoing RAI pathways and the rhTSH share versus thyroid hormone withdrawal under payer and provider policies.

5) Why is pricing more important than efficacy in this category?

Because rhTSH products typically target similar clinical workflow endpoints, market share often hinges on net price, formulary access, and contracting rather than clinically differentiated outcomes.


References

[1] THYROGEN prescribing information (thyrotropin alfa).

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