Switching weekly growth hormone shots eased injection pain for some children
Original title: Injection-site pain after switching from somatrogon to somapacitan in children reporting pain or discomfort during once-weekly growth hormone therapy: a prospective single-arm switch study.
How far along is this research?
- Lab cells
- Animals
- Review
- Tested in people
This was tested in people. That is the most reliable kind of research we share.
A small study watched in children, not a large trial that proves the result.
The short version
Children who had painful weekly growth hormone shots said a different weekly shot hurt less.
What was studied. The study had 19 children who needed growth hormone and felt pain from their weekly shot, called somatrogon. They switched to a different weekly shot, called somapacitan, for at least 4 weeks. Then they rated how much each shot hurt.
What they found. Pain scores went down after the switch. On one scale, scores dropped from 6.5 to 1.6. All the children wanted to keep using the new shot. Two of the children needed growth hormone after surgery for a brain tumor called craniopharyngioma.
What this means, and what it doesn't
What it could mean: If a child's weekly growth hormone shot hurts, it may help to ask the doctor about trying a different weekly shot. Less pain can make it easier to keep up with treatment.
What it doesn't mean: This was a small study with no comparison group. The children and families knew which shot they were getting, and they rated the old shot from memory. It does not prove one shot is better for every child. It does not treat the brain tumor itself, and it is not a cure.
Source: PubMed, August 31, 2026 · Read the original
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