About 20,000 children in the US receive somatropin (human growth hormone, rDNA origin) for the treatment of growth hormone deficiency (GHD), with approximately 4,000 new cases annually. While the cost-effectiveness of somatropin for the treatment of GHD has been assessed in the UK, to our knowledge no estimates for the US have been reported. OBJECTIVE: To generate estimates of cost-effectiveness/utility of Norditropin® (r-DNA somatropin) in the treatment of GHD in children. METHODS: A decision-analytic model of the epidemiology and treatment of GHD in children was developed. Treatment of GHD was assessed in two hypothetical cohorts compared to no treatment – treatment with Norditropin® 0.030 mg/kg/day from ages five through 16 years, and treatment from ages three through 18 years. Costs included those related to drug acquisition, endocrinologist consultations, and primary care office visits. Estimates of patient weight by age and sex were derived from published literature, as was the proportion of patients achieving normal height through Norditropin® treatment and pre/post-treatment patient utilities. Cost-effectiveness/utility was estimated over patients' expected lifetimes, and was stated alternatively as discounted (3% per annum) US dollars per normal height year (NHY) gained, and cost per quality adjusted life-year (QALY) gained. Multivariate sensitivity analyses were conducted to ensure robustness of the model. RESULTS: The cost-effectiveness and cost-utility of treating children from ages five through 16 years with Norditropin® was estimated at $8,909 per NHY gained and $36,955 per QALY gained, respectively. Treatment of children from ages three through 18 years was estimated to cost $9,277 per NHY gained and $42,556 per QALY gained. Findings were relatively insensitive to variation in most model parameters. CONCLUSION: For both age cohorts, the cost-effectiveness/utility of Norditropin® in the treatment of GHD compares favorably to well-accepted threshold values. Thus, Norditropin® represents excellent value for money for the treatment of GHD in children.