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Human Growth Hormone

NPR
Published August 14, 2003 at 12:00 AM EDT

The Food and Drug Administration has approved a drug intended to make healthy, short children taller. The drug -- growth hormone -- has long been used to boost the height of children who are small due to medical problems. Critics charge that giving the drug to healthy children is unwise. NPR offers a three-part report.

Part One, Aug. 12: Kids being teased on the playground for being short have a new option -- and it comes in a syringe. NPR's Vicky Que reports on the debate surrounding the use of medical growth hormone on healthy, short children.

Part Two, Aug. 13: Que explores the medical issues of treating healthy kids with growth hormones. A mother of a teenager explains why she decided to have her son treated with the growth hormone. Critics say being short is not a medical problem and that this is just a way for drug companies to make money.

Part Three, Aug. 14: NPR's Snigdha Prakash explores the cultural, scientific and business forces that are driving the use of growth hormone among healthy children who happen to be short.

Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

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All donations are appreciated, but we ask in this moment you consider starting a monthly gift as a Sustainer to help replace what’s been lost.

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