Patient's question:
Although children are now very proficient in using electronic pens to inject growth hormone, why do growth hormone medications need to be administered via subcutaneous injection? What kind of help is needed: Although children are now very proficient in using electronic pens to inject growth hormone, why do growth hormone medications need to be administered via subcutaneous injection?Doctor's answer:
Although oral administration is the most ideal route of drug delivery, it is generally susceptible to degradation by gastric acid and digestive enzymes after ingestion. The undegraded drug, being large in molecular weight and highly water-soluble, is difficult to absorb, rendering most biotechnological drugs unsuitable for oral administration. Growth hormone, a protein composed of peptide chains, loses its activity when taken orally, so it must be administered in a parenteral form.