Schellhammer P, Sharifi R, Block N, Soloway M, Venner P, Patterson AL, et al. A controlled trial of bicalutamide versus flutamide, each in combination with luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone analogue therapy, in patients with advanced prostate cancer. Prostate Cancer Trialists' Collaborative Group. Some infertile women require treatment with gonadotrophins to stimulate follicular development. The hormone is produced from genetically engineered Chinese hamster oocytes.
Clinical trials suggest that follitropin beta is at least as effective as urinary gonadotrophins.
Follitropin can be used to stimulate follicular development in women with anovulatory infertility. After finding the optimum daily dose, each patient is monitored until pre-ovulatory conditions are reached. The hormone can also be used to produce controlled ovarian hyperstimulation. This prepares follicles for retrieval in assisted reproduction programs. Follitropin beta has also been approved for use in males with deficient spermatogenesis due to hypogonadotrophic hypogonadism.