Ravatirelin is a thiazolyl-alanine derivative patented by Japanese pharmaceutical company Shionogi & Co., Ltd. as a thyrotropin-releasing compound with improved central nerve activating effects such as sustained acetylcholine-releasing effect, and spontaneous motility increasing effect. Rovatirelin binds to the human thyrotropin-releasing hormone receptor with nanomolar affinity and increases the spontaneous firing of action potentials in the acutely isolated noradrenergic neurons of rat locus coeruleus. In in vivo studies, oral administration of Ravatirelin increased both c-Fos expression in the LC and extracellular levels of noradrenaline in the medial prefrontal cortex of rats. Furthermore, Ravatirelin increased locomotor activity. The increase in noradrenaline level and locomotor activity by Ravatirelin was more potent and longer acting than those by taltirelin. In phase I studies in healthy adult males, Ravatirelin exhibited linear pharmacokinetics in a single-ascending dose (0.1 to 10 mg) and a benign safety profile supportive of once-daily oral administration. From results of Phase II and III studies to evaluate the efficacy and safety of Ravatirelin in spinocerebellar degeneration patients, a daily dose of 1.6 to 3.2 mg of Ravatirelin has been considered to be dosage level intended for clinical use as once-daily oral administration.