Anabolic Insider

QUESTION: Bill I love your books and can’t wait for Anabolic 2011 to come out! Must say I'm ecstatic that you're now writing for MUSCLE INSIDER each week! My question to you is I live in Toronto and my supplier says he can get Hygetropin 200 IU GH kits but I've never heard of them before. Have you heard any positive feedback or are they just relabelled blue tops?

ANSWER: Thank you for the feedback! The new book just stared shipping, and should be in your area very soon. In regards to your question, I am familiar with this product. Hygetropin is brand of growth hormone manufactured in China by Hygene Biopharma Co. Hygetropin is prepared in vials containing 8 IU or 10 IU of growth hormone. These are packaged in larger kits of 100 or 200 IU. This company makes true somatropin (the correct 191 amino acid sequence), and not the synthetic 192 amino acid variant somatrem made by some other suppliers. Both forms are used medically, though most prefer the correct bio-identical version. If you ask around, you will find mixed feedback on Hygetropin. Don’t get the impression this is a bad form of GH. This is a legitimate company and product. The problem is that they have become fairly well known in many markets as an affordable supplier of hGH (a fairly expensive medicine), and consequently have gained the attention of counterfeiters. There are many versions of fake Hygetropin circulating at the moment. I suspect that much or all of the bad feedback is coming from people that have used knockoff products. Hygene Biopharma seems to be aware of the counterfeiting issue, instituting certain anti-counterfeiting measures. In particular, they were one of the first Chinese growth hormone manufacturers to use an IPV (Individual Product Verification) system. This involves printing each individual product with its own unique code, which can be verified on the company website. Make sure you check the code on your product at the real company website (www.hygetropin.cn). Some counterfeiters have put up fake hygetropin websites!

If you want William Llewellyn to answer one of your questions, send it to questions@muscle-insider.com or visit www.BodyofScience.com. Watch for his new book ANABOLICS 2011 which is the leading resource on the use of anabolic steroids. He is also the CEO of Molecular Nutrition (www.MolecularNutrition.net) which is a supplement company devoted to producing cutting-edge supplements backed by science.