OBJECTIVES: Somatropin is provided in 4 and 12IU presentations by the Brazilian Unified Health System (SUS) for the treatment of Hypopituitarism (HP) and Turner Syndrome (TS). Other presentations are available in the market and are believed to provide a less costly treatment and/or less somatropin waste. METHODS: The registered medicines were obtained from the National Health Surveillance Agency (ANVISA) and their stability from package inserts. Monthly consumption and wastage analysis were estimated using the dose of somatropin for each disease and the average body weight of Minas Gerais State patients. Costs were estimated considering the Maximum Price of Sale to the Government from ANVISA. RESULTS: Seventeen presentations (seven brands) of somatropin are available in the market and those with 28 days stability are not available in SUS. In general, medicines provided by SUS showed higher prices per IU. Immediate-use somatropin (4IU) showed the highest wastage and the highest cost estimates for both diseases. For HP, somatropin wastage of 4 and 12IU presentations was lower than that of the others available in the market. Regarding costs, they emerged in the fifth position of lower average cost for children and in the first and fifth positions for minimum and maximum doses for adults, respectively. For TS, monthly somatropin wastage was of 2.08-2.65IU for 4IU (7-14 days stability), slightly lower than that of 12 to 18IU presentations. Medicines provided by SUS appeared in the ninth position of lower average cost. CONCLUSIONS: Medicines incorporated by SUS presented the highest IU prices among registered medicines. Less wastage with incorporated presentations did not translate into better costs results (presentations of 15, 16 and 18IU had lower or similar cost). The purchase of somatropin should be made allowing the participation of presentations of up to 18IU, with 7 to 28 days stability, and considering price per IU.