Parents have been warned about a dangerous trend in which some teenagers are reportedly taking a cancer drug in an attempt to increase their height.

The practice is said to be gaining attention within online communities linked to the growing “looksmaxxing” and self-improvement culture, with young people, particularly boys, discussing the use of erdafitinib, a drug used in the treatment of certain cancers.

Erdafitinib, sometimes referred to online as “erda”, has become a topic of discussion on social media platforms and online biohacking groups, where some users promote it as a way of increasing height.

According to Metro UK, a 16-year-old Reddit user reportedly wrote that the desire to grow taller was driven by concerns about being perceived as less masculine.

“My main motivation for height growth is being seen as less of a man, I hate walking around knowing other people are better than me,’ the teenager wrote.

‘I know this will give me the best chance of at least one more inch.’

Posts on TikTok have also encouraged users to seek information about sourcing and dosage, despite the potential health risks associated with using the drug without medical supervision.

However, reports by Rolling Stone indicate that some teenagers who have used the medication experienced serious side effects.

A 17-year-old TikTok user from New York, identified as Zak, said he experienced joint pain, nosebleeds and severe dry skin during the two years he used the drug intermittently.

Another teenager of the same age reportedly claimed that his fingernails fell off within two months of taking erdafitinib alongside other growth supplements.

Erdafitinib, marketed under the brand name Balversa, is a tyrosine kinase inhibitor used in the treatment of certain types of bladder and urinary tract cancer.

The drug works by blocking the activity of proteins that drive the growth of certain cells, including cancer cells. While some studies have suggested that the medication could affect bone growth in children and teenagers, evidence on its use for increasing height remains limited.

A spokesperson for the drug’s manufacturer, Johnson & Johnson, stressed that the medication has not been approved for height enhancement.

‘It has not been approved to increase height, and its safety and effectiveness have not been established for that purpose or for any use in any children or adolescents,’ the spokesperson said.

Despite the warnings, reports indicate that erdafitinib can still be purchased online without a prescription, with some websites describing the drug as being intended “for research use only” rather than human consumption.

Health experts and parents are therefore being urged to pay attention to the growing trend, as the unsupervised use of prescription cancer drugs could expose young people to serious and potentially long-term health risks. (Sunday Tribune)