Somatropin 191aa  [somatropin (rDNA origin) for injection] is injected under the skin each day, usually at bedtime. Treatment can be administered by using either the  Somatropin 191aa  [somatropin (rDNA origin) for injection] needle injection or a needle-free delivery Besides being a 100% needle-free device offers:

  • An option for appropriate patients with needle anxiety
  • Less risk of accidental needle sticks to a patient’s family or caregiver
  • An alternative delivery method for patients with a history of intravenous drug abuse who are reluctant to use a needle or syringe

What Is Needed for Somatropin 191aa  [somatropin (rDNA origin) for injection] Injection

  • The Somatropin 191aa  [somatropin (rDNA origin) for injection] vial containing the medication in a freeze-dried powder
  • Diluent for injection vial holding the liquid you will mix with the Somatropin 191aa   powder
  • A syringe used to mix the diluent with the Somatropin 191aa  powder
  • Two needles
    • a longer, 20-gauge needle to add the diluent to the Somatropin 191aa   vial and withdraw the solution before the injection
    •  a shorter, 27-gauge needle to administer the injection
  • Alcohol swabs to clean the skin before the injection and to wipe the vial tops
  • A bandage or gauze pad to cover the injection site
  • Sharps container to dispose needles and syringes
  • Disposable gloves if someone else is giving the injection

Make sure all injection items are unopened before use. Needles and syringes should never be shared or reused.

Important Safety Information

Do not use Somatropin 191aa (somatropin [rDNA origin] injection) if: you have a critical illness caused by certain types of heart or stomach surgery, trauma or breathing (respiratory) problems; you are a child with Prader-Willi syndrome who is severely obese or has breathing problems including sleep apnea; you have cancer or other tumors; your healthcare provider tells you that you have certain types of eye problems caused by diabetes; you are a child with closed bone growth plates (epiphyses) or you are allergic to any of the ingredients in the medicine.

Before you take Somatropin 191aa tell your healthcare provider if you: have diabetes; had cancer or any tumor; have any other medical condition; are pregnant or plan to become pregnant; are breast-feeding or plan to breast-feed.

Somatropin 191aa can cause serious side effects, including: high risk of death in people who have critical illnesses because of heart or stomach surgery, trauma or serious breathing (respiratory) problems; high risk of death in children with Prader-Willi syndrome who are severely obese or have breathing problems including sleep apnea; return of tumor or cancerous growths; high blood sugar (hyperglycemia); increase in pressure in the skull (intracranial hypertension); swollen hands and feet due to fluid retention; decrease in thyroid hormone levels; hip and knee pain or a limp in children (slipped capital femoral epiphysis); worsening of pre-existing curvature of the spine (scoliosis); middle ear infection, hearing problems or ear problems in patients with Turner syndrome.

Patients with Noonan syndrome and Turner syndrome should be closely monitored by their doctors as they are more likely to have congenital heart disease.

The most common side effects of Somatropin 191aa include: headaches, muscle pain, joint stiffness, high blood sugar (hyperglycemia), sugar in your urine (glucosuria), swollen hands and feet due to fluid retention, and redness and itching in the area you inject. If you have headaches, eye problems, nausea or vomiting (these may be symptoms of raised pressure in the brain), contact your healthcare provider right away.

Somatropin 191aa may affect how other medicines work, and other medicines may affect how Somatropin 191aa works so be sure to tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take including prescription and non-prescription medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements.

Especially tell your healthcare provider if you take: glucocorticoid medication, thyroid hormone, insulin or other medicine for diabetes, medicines that are metabolized by the liver (e.g., corticosteroids, sex steroids, anticonvulsants, cyclosporine), or oral estrogen replacement medicine.

Indications and Usage

Somatropin 191aa (somatropin [rDNA origin] injection) is used to treat: children who have growth failure because of low or no growth hormone; children who are short (in stature) and who have Noonan syndrome or Turner syndrome; children who are short (in stature) because they were born small (small for gestational age-SGA) and have not caught-up in growth by age 2 to 4 years; and adults who do not make enough growth hormone.