Ten consecutive patients with motor neuron disease (MND) who had bulbar symptoms 
received one or two intravenous doses followed by increasing oral doses of a TRH 
analogue (RX77368). Similar improvements in speech, swallowing and in tongue and 
jaw movements were seen after iv and oral administration in nine, five and eight 
patients respectively. The initial time course of improvement correlated with 
increasing plasma levels of the drug, but most clinical effects persisted when 
the levels decreased and became undetectable after 24 hours. The oral solution 
was tasteless and had no, or minimal, side effects.