The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has granted marketing authorization for MacrilenTM (JMV 1843), an orally available ghrelin agonist developed in our team ! Macrilen is used for diagnosis of adult growth hormone deficiency (AGHD). The approval came following the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) positive opinion of MacrilenTM.
People who have AGHD can include those who were GH deficient as children and become adults with AGHD, or adults who become GH deficient. In adults, GH deficiency could develop when your pituitary gland or hypothalamus is damaged due to tumors, surgery, radiation, or traumatic brain injury. GH is important for adults to support healthy tissue and organs. GH is released in pulses, so measuring your blood for too little GH (also known as a deficiency) may be hard. MacrilenTM, orally administered, will stimulate GH secretion in the circulation, which level can then be evaluated by simple blood samples.
