Short term effect of intranasal administration of hexarelin--a synthetic growth hormone-releasing peptide. Preliminary communication.

Twice or three times daily intranasal administration of the hexapeptide hexarelin for 7 days to children with short stature and normal growth hormone (GH) secretion evoked a significant rise in serum levels of insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) and alkaline phosphatase. There was also a significant, within normal limits, rise of thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) without evidence of thyroxine suppression.