Prescription Drugs by Dosage Form

Injectable drugs are typically biologics (large molecules made in living cells) or require sterile manufacturing, both of which raise production costs dramatically. They also tend to be newer specialty medications with active patent protection.

Sometimes. Some conditions have both oral and injectable options (for example, some diabetes GLP-1 drugs come as pills or injections). Always talk to your doctor before switching — the oral form may not have equivalent efficacy.

Dosage form describes how a medication is delivered: tablet, capsule, injection, solution, cream, patch, inhaler, etc. It affects absorption, convenience, and manufacturing cost.