Melanotan I & II

Synthetic α-MSH analogues that darken skin; afamelanotide (MT-I) is approved for a rare light-sensitivity disease, while Melanotan II was never approved.

Also known as: Afamelanotide, Scenesse, Melanotan 1, Melanotan 2, MT-I, MT-II, NDP-MSH
Area: Skin
Status: Afamelanotide approved for EPP (EU 2014, US 2019); Melanotan II unapproved anywhere

Articles on Melanotan I & II

SkinHuman RCT

Melanotan I and II: one became a licensed drug, the other a mole-changing tanning jab

Melanotan I, as afamelanotide, is approved for a rare light-sensitivity disease. Melanotan II was never approved, and case reports link it to changing moles and melanoma.

HPR Editorial · 18 Sept 2026 · 7 min read

HormonesHuman RCT

PT-141 (bremelanotide): what the RECONNECT trials found, and what they didn’t

Bremelanotide is FDA-approved for low sexual desire in premenopausal women. In phase 3 it raised desire scores modestly, didn’t increase satisfying sexual events, and caused nausea in 40%.

HPR Editorial · 10 Sept 2026 · 7 min read