Performance · Investigational
Melanotan II
No lawful US pathway
01 · Overview
A synthetic cyclic analog of alpha-melanocyte stimulating hormone (alpha-MSH) that non-selectively activates melanocortin receptors. Through MC1R it stimulates melanogenesis (skin pigmentation), and through central MC3R/MC4R signaling it affects sexual function and appetite.
Early human studies reported increased skin pigmentation, spontaneous erections, nausea, yawning and decreased appetite (PMID 8637402) (PMID 9679884). It is not FDA-approved, and products sold online are unregulated (PMID 28266027).
02 · Research summary & key findings
A small pilot phase I study in three men found increased skin pigmentation after a short course of injections, with mild nausea and spontaneous erections as side effects (PMID 8637402). A double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover study in 10 men with psychogenic erectile dysfunction found erections in 8 of 10 men on Melanotan II (PMID 9679884). Its analog PT-141 (bremelanotide) was later developed for sexual dysfunction (PMID 16412534). Case reports link unregulated melanotan use to changes in existing moles, new dysplastic nevi and melanoma, though a causal link is not proven (PMID 28266027).
03 · Regulatory status
Melanotan II is in the investigational stage. While preclinical and early-phase data exist, it has not received regulatory approval for clinical use in the United States.
No lawful pathway today
Melanotan II is not FDA-approved and does not currently have a lawful prescription or compounding pathway in the United States, so we do not sell it and will not book a consultation for it. That can change: in 2026 FDA began reviewing several peptides for compounding. If you are working on the goal it is studied for, a licensed clinician can tell you what is lawfully available, which may be something else.
Tell me if the status changes
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Looking for a lawful, clinician-prescribed option for athletic performance?
Melanotan II is an investigational compound, is not FDA-approved, and has no lawful US compounding pathway, so we do not offer it and no clinician we work with will prescribe it. Products sold online as “research chemicals” are not made or tested to the standards required of medicines. If you are working on athletic performance, a licensed clinician can tell you at a free consultation whether an FDA-approved or lawfully compounded treatment fits you, or whether nothing does.
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04 · Administration routes
- Subcutaneous injection
References
- [1]Melanocortin peptide therapeutics: historical milestones, clinical studies and commercialization Peptides, 2006. PMID 16412534
- [2]Risks of unregulated use of alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone analogues: a review Int J Dermatol, 2017. PMID 28266027
- [3]Evaluation of melanotan-II, a superpotent cyclic melanotropic peptide in a pilot phase-I clinical study Life Sci, 1996. PMID 8637402
- [4]Synthetic melanotropic peptide initiates erections in men with psychogenic erectile dysfunction: double-blind, placebo controlled crossover study J Urol, 1998. PMID 9679884
Primary literature
- PubMed: "Melanotan II"
Peer-reviewed literature indexed by the National Library of Medicine.
- ClinicalTrials.gov: "Melanotan II"
Registered interventional and observational studies, including status and phase.
- PubChem: "Melanotan II"
Chemical structure, molecular properties, and bioactivity data.
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