Injections vs Tablet Treatments: The Differences Explained for Students in Regulatory Affairs Courses

Are you seeking a way to advance your existing science skills and gain the practical qualifications to begin a lucrative career in the pharmaceutical sector? Earning your Regulatory Affairs Diploma will place you at the forefront of the industry, providing you with the skills needed to support the licensing and approval of pharmaceutical drugs.

To start, you’ll need to learn about the types of pharmaceutical drugs and products available as well as their forms. Two forms that medications commonly take include injection and tablet. How are they different? Read on to find out.

Injections and Tablets are Both Effective

Many people are under the impression that the method in which a medication is administered impacts its effectiveness. Professionals with a Regulatory Affairs Diploma know that this assumption is both true and false. While both methods are effective, that effectiveness depends on why the medication is needed in the first place and to whom it is being prescribed.

Some patients aren’t capable of taking tablet-form medications due to certain conditions, such as vomiting or being unconscious, for example. In a case like this, an injection would need to be administered as a treatment since a tablet wouldn’t be possible.

During your regulatory affairs courses, you’ll learn that the form of medication—whether injection or tablet—is also highly dependent on its purpose. For instance, if a patient requires a medication to treat hookworms in the stomach, a tablet would be prescribed. This is because a tablet would dissolve in the stomach before being absorbed into the bloodstream, thus treating the condition.

Regulatory Affairs Students Know Injections Act Faster

While tablets are first absorbed through the stomach and then passed through the liver before entering the bloodstream, injected medication enters the bloodstream immediately. As such, in a case where medication is offered in both formats, the injection would act faster than the tablet. In an emergency situation, for instance, a doctor will likely prescribe the injected version of a medication to achieve the desired result quicker. However, the effectiveness would remain the same no matter the format in this particular case.

 

Some medications may provide further benefits in addition to speed when injected. For example, a pain relief medication that’s injected will better target the affected area, whereas a tablet will only provide general pain relief and may cause certain side effects, such as fatigue. A tablet pain reliever may also need to be taken regularly for a person to experience results, whereas the pain relief from an injection may last several weeks or months.

Tablets are Easier for Patients to Take Compared to Injections

There are some injected medications, including insulin, which can be administered at home. However, most require the expertise of a healthcare professional, which means it’s generally easier for people to take their medication in tablet format.

 

Injections are usually more expensive than tablets, but they may be required less often since they are more concentrated, whereas a person may need to take a tablet more regularly, thus consuming a large volume.

While there are many differences between injections and tablets, both are effective in achieving the goal they were created for. Each individual case is different and a person may require one or the other or perhaps both.

Want to learn more about pharmaceutical drugs?

Visit the Toronto Institute of Pharmaceutical Technology for details about our Pharmaceutical Regulatory Affairs program.