In a small study of 18 kids who lacked growth hormone, twice‑daily injections of a synthetic GHRH peptide helped about half of them grow faster (more than 2 cm per year). A strong GH response before treatment predicted who would benefit, but even kids with weaker responses sometimes grew. Some kids made antibodies against the peptide, yet this didn’t hurt growth.

18 prepubertal growth-hormone (GH)-deficient children were treated with twice-daily subcutaneous injections of a growth-hormone-releasing hormone analogue, GHRH (1-29) NH2. In 12 of the children the height velocity rose on GHRH treatment, and 8 were judged to have shown a worthwhile response to therapy in that their height velocities during the first 6 months of treatment increased by greater than 2 cm/yr (range 2.7-11.2 cm/yr). These 8 children have now been treated for 6 to 18 months and their increase in height velocity has been maintained. In the 14 patients who had previously received human GH (hGH) height velocity on hGH correlated with that on GHRH. 4 of these patients showed growth deceleration with GHRH, for unknown reasons. A pretreatment peak serum GH response of above 30 mU/l during an intravenous GHRH test was predictive of a good growth response to GHRH but a lower peak did not preclude a growth response. There was no consistent evidence of a priming or desensitisation effect of therapy on the GH responses to GHRH. Although anti-GHRH antibodies developed in 14 patients, these did not seem to have adverse effects on either growth or the GH responses to GHRH. GHRH (1-29) NH2 therapy is an alternative to conventional hGH in the treatment of some GH-deficient children. Ideal dose regimens need to be established.