Sermorelin In The Press

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The articles below report that pharmaceutical companies are currently developing oral forms of hGH secretagogues for use in longevity medicine. The companies feel that an oral dosage form will be better accepted by the public than injectable Sermorelin. However, it will be years before such products reach the market. Sermorelin is available for prescription compounding to meet your patients specific needs TODAY!

GH Secretagogues and Aging

Drug could fight effects of aging

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06173/700274-114.stm
Thursday, June 22, 2006
By Joe Fahy, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

A tablet that stimulates the production of growth hormone may help older adults improve their physical functioning and lower their body fat percentage, a researcher said yesterday.

But Dr. George Merriam, a professor of medicine at the University of Washington, cautioned that much more study is needed to determine whether the medication should become widely available to help counteract the effects of aging.

Dr. Merriam, who also is associated with the VA Puget Sound Health Care System, led a study whose findings were reported yesterday at the Sixth International Congress of Neuroendocrinology. The four-day conference, which began Monday, is being held at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center, Downtown.

The government has approved use of growth hormone for a limited array of conditions in adults and children, Dr. Merriam said. But it is also used by athletes seeking to enhance their performance and prescribed by anti-aging clinics.

Using growth hormone for non-approved purposes is controversial, he said, and some question whether doctors should try to intervene in the aging process.

But "the line between disease and the disability baggage that accompanies aging is sort of arbitrary," he said, pointing out that many interventions, such as prescribing glasses, have been developed to counteract the effects of aging.

The study he led randomly assigned 395 men and women ages 65 to 84 with mild functional limitations to receive either sugar pills or various oral doses of the growth hormone stimulator capromorelin, an investigational medication developed by Pfizer Global Research and Development.

Compared to placebo, the medication stimulated growth hormone secretion and was associated with an increase in lean muscle mass, improved balance as demonstrated by heel-to-toe walking, and a better ability to climb stairs.

The study did not examine whether the medication improved cognitive functioning. Other researchers involved in the study were affiliated with Duke University, Stanford University, the University of Arkansas, Johns Hopkins University, the Veterans Affairs health care system, and Pfizer, which supported the project.

Dr. Merriam said Merck and other companies also are investigating similar treatments.

While he called his study\'s findings encouraging, Dr. Merriam declined to characterize them as a breakthrough, saying more work is needed to determine both the safety and the benefits of the treatment.

"There are no short-term fixes," he said, saying diet and exercise remain preferred approaches to avoiding many health problems associated with aging.

Growth hormone drug to be pushed as anti-aging medicine

http://www.newstarget.com/019447.html

NewsTarget Drug-maker Pfizer is testing an experimental drug called capromorelin as a new anti-aging treatment. The new drug is a growth-hormone stimulator that is meant to force the body to secrete human growth hormone like it did during adolescence. During a person\'s teen and young-adult years, the body increases production of growth hormones, which are associated with a buildup of lean muscle mass and strength. As a person ages, growth hormone levels gradually decrease.

Dr. George Merriam of the University of Washington/VA Puget Sound Health Care System led the capromorelin research. Patients are reported to have gained an average of three pounds in lean muscle mass after six months on the drug, and they showed improvement in strength, balance and coordination. A little under 400 men and women aged 65 to 84 participated in the study.

While low levels of growth hormones are associated with less lean muscle mass, it is well known that people can maintain strength and health through physical activity and weightbearing exercise. Dr. Agnieszka Baranowska-Bik and colleagues at the University of Poland recently studied 133 women ranging in age from 20 to 102. Surprisingly, the researchers found that the women aged over 100 were healthier than many of their younger counterparts. The centenarians had lower cholesterol and better control of blood sugar, an indicator of diabetes risk.

Both Dr. George Merriam\'s drug test and Dr. Agnieszka Baranowska-Bik\'s research were
presented at the International Congress of Neuroendocrinology, held this week in Pittsburgh.

http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/7293.html

100 years and getting younger – new anti-aging drug by Pfizer

Posted on : Thu, 22 Jun 2006 11:42:00 GMT | Author : Mike Burns
News Category : Health

Two different studies have allowed a glimpse at some of the factors affecting disability with old-age and thrown light on possible medication which might make aging less troublesome and more independent.

One study led by Dr. George Merriam from the University of Washington, conducted a trial of the experimental growth hormone secretagogue (GHS) manufactured by Pfizer on a group of 395 people aged 65 to 84. At the beginning of the experiment, all reported to have some degree of immobility or difficulty in walking and climbing stairs. The drug called Capromorelin was administered according to different dosages to half the participants, while the control group received a placebo.

Capromorelin is a drug that induces the body to secrete growth hormones like those secreted during puberty and adulthood. It causes the building of lean muscle mass and increases strength. With age, both, the levels of this hormone and of lean muscle mass reduce, leading to impairment and disabilities.

Results which were revealed at the International Congress of Neuroendocrinology in Pittsburgh, showed that subjects who were given the drug had an average increase of 3 pounds of muscle mass. They also were able to better balance and co-ordinate themselves as revealed when made to walk along a straight line, and over a year, they found it easier to climb stairs.