The present invention provides a method of treating a human patient in need of growth hormone therapy by periodically administering to the human patient for more than two weeks an effective amount of a composition comprising a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier and a fusion protein whose amino acid sequence is set forth as SEQ ID NO: 1, so as to thereby treat the human patient. The present invention also provides a method of treating a human patient in need of growth hormone therapy by administering to the human patient, in a clinically effective regimen, a clinically effective dose of a composition comprising a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier and a fusion protein whose amino acid sequence is set forth as SEQ ID NO: 1, wherein the clinically effective dose and clinically effective regimen are selected by a series of steps.
