Human Growth Hormone-Related CJD Claims

CJD is rare, and CJD caused by HGH is even rarer. Only one type of HGH was associated with a risk of CJD, and this was made by the Hartree-modified Wilhelmi preparation. Whether this type of HGH was given can usually be established through a person's medical records.

There are also several known treatment programmes where HGH was used. For example, from 1971-1984, a treatment programme took place at Great Ormond Street Hospital. Children treated in the programme received allocations of growth hormone from batches processed by the Medical Research Council (MRC), with injections given three times a week.

HGH was developed as a treatment for individuals of unusually short stature. It was made using pituitary glands from deceased individuals. The MRC, funded by the UK government, started trials in 1959.

In July 1977, a link between HGH and CJD was acknowledged. However, it wasn’t until 1985, when patients started to develop CJD, that the use of growth hormone developed from human pituitary glands was abandoned in the UK. HGH is still in use today, but only in a synthetic form.

Between 1991 and 1999, a series of trials took place at the High Court. These found that the Department of Health was liable for cases of iatrogenic CJD and should compensate patients who had been diagnosed if they had been treated after 1 July 1977.

Testing for CJD is difficult and, in most cases, a firm diagnosis can only be made after the individual has died.

If you have CJD or know someone who did and are unsure if there's a link to HGH, we can help you establish whether this is the case. If CJD wasn’t caused by HGH, you may still be able to claim, but the process may be different.

Cases of variant CJD (vCJD) are dealt with by the vCJD Trust. This is a fund set up to compensate people with vCJD and their families, with guidelines as to what compensation can be awarded and who is entitled to claim.

The process is meant to be more straightforward than a standard compensation claim. However, this doesn't stop you from making a claim through the courts if you wish, or if we believe you can achieve a higher settlement that way. We will be able to advise you on this if it applies to your case.

CJD claims relating to HGH are dealt with by the Department of Health. There's no formal scheme for making a claim, so it will follow the normal claims process. If you have received HGH, we will need to prove through medical records that this has happened and will also need evidence of a CJD diagnosis to make a claim.

In some cases, it might be possible to make a psychiatric injury claim if you are what's known as ‘worried well’. This means someone who has developed a psychiatric illness as the result of finding out they have received potentially contaminated HGH, even though they have not developed CJD. This will depend on having a medical diagnosis and assessment of the applicable time limit for making a claim.

If you have any questions, then please don't hesitate to get in touch with us.

The amount of compensation you could be entitled to claim will depend on the circumstances around your illness. There’s no set amount awarded in HGH-related CJD claims, and the figure is calculated based on:

• Your pain and suffering
• Loss of earnings, now and in future
• Your long-term care and medical needs
• Expenses you have incurred, such as medical or travel expenses for hospital appointments
• Any specialist treatment or equipment you need
• Adaptations you may need to your home

Contact us to tell us about what happened to you in a free initial consultation. We will be able to let you know how much compensation you could claim once we know more about your situation. We always make sure compensation amounts are a full reflection of both current and long-term needs.