Melanotan.org : find info and forums for afamelanotide (formerly CUV1647), bremelanotide, and Melanotan II here.

What is Melanotan and Melanotan II?

Based upon a quote of the Arizona Cancer Center found at sunless.com (on June 14th,1999):

Melanotan and Melanotan II are both synthetic versions of melanocyte stimulating hormone that were created, synthesized and developed at The University of Arizona and the Arizona Cancer Center. Melanotan is a linear, full length peptide (containing all 13 amino acids). Melanotan II is a shortened, circular version of the same peptide. Both Melanotan and Melanotan II have sunless tanning capabilities but because Melanotan II had libido enhancement and spontaneous erections as side effects, it is now being developed as a sexual and erectile dysfunction drug.

To be particularly clear regarding Melanotan (due to previous incorrect news reports) it should be known that it does not cause sexual arousal nor have erectile effects. These aspects are only found in Melanotan II and bremelanotide.

Who created them?

The Arizona Cancer Center located at The University of Arizona.

General Information

Looking for the company that is developing Melanotan?

Try Clinuvel the company in Australia that is developing it.
Want to participate in Melanotan (afamelanotide, formerly CUV1647) Clinical Trials? Follow this link. (as of April 17, 2007)

Clinuvel Pharmaceuticals Limited is a sub-licencee of Melanotan from: Competitive Technologies
(Who originally licensed it from MelanoTan Corporation.)

Looking for the company that is developing Melanotan II for erectile
dysfunction (ED) and female sexual dysfunction (FSD)?

Try http://www.palatin.com/ the company in New Jersey, USA that is developing it.
Unfortunately for those looking on their site for the latest information concerning Melanotan II will find it mentioned only in the listing of publications regarding bremelanotide. This has greatly limited the ease with which interested parties can directly locate them via web searches relative to the term Melanotan II. Due to changes they've made to the Melanotan II peptide, they've given their version the much less obvious name bremelanotide. When surfing their site look for bremelanotide or pt-141 .

Palatin Technologies originally was a sub-licencee of Melanotan II from: Competitive Technologies. This original sub-license is no longer valid.

Info from Washington University about Dr. Hunter Wessels
Web page of info concerning the chief developer of Melanotan II, Dr. Hunter Wessels Associate Professor at.
the Washington University Department of Urology.

Info about Dr. Hunter Wessels
Good web page of info concerning the chief developer of Melanotan II, Dr. Hunter Wessels.

The University of Arizona (UOA) Health Sciences Center
(A pre-Viagra article with good info.)

The Universtiy Of Arizona Heath Sciences Center
Link list of articles/pages with Melanotan and Melanotan II, Info.

The Britsh Medical Journal
An article concerning James Watson's (co-discoverer of the double helix nature of the DNA molecule and Nobel Laureate)
involvement with Melanotan and Melanotan II.

American Urology Association, Inc.
Scientific description of a Melanotan II. study done by it's discoverers.

Doctors Guide
(Extensive article about Melanotan II and a study conducted on it.)

ABCNEWS.com
(A small section of an ABCNews Medical page.)

WGGB news
(A news archive article. GOOD information.)

MensHealth.com
(A small mention of Melanotan.)

Boston Globe Online
(An article that includes info about the discovery of Melanotan and Melanotan II.)

Article on Melanocyte Stimulating Hormone
In discussing the Melanocyte hormone this article mentions Melanotan.

Melanotan peptides in the news:

On December 16, 2003 NBC affiliated (WSB-TV2) news of Atlanta, Georgia discussed Melanotan peptides for tanning, weight loss and for sexual dysfunction in this news article.

On December 3, 2003 BETTERHUMANS of Canada discussed Epitan Limited's successful Phase II trial results in sunburn tests in this news article.

On December 3, 2003 British Broadcasting Corp. (BBC) news of England discussed Epitan Limited's development of an implant for releasing Melanotan
as well as their successful Phase II trial results in sunburn tests in this news article.

On November 28, 2003 Special Broadcasting Service (SBS) news of Australia discussed Epitan Limited's successful Phase II trial results in sunburn tests in this news article.

On November 28, 2003 Australian Broadcasting Corp. (ABC) news of Australia discussed Epitan Limited's successful Phase II trial results in sunburn tests in this news article.

On November 28, 2003 IOL news of South Africa discussed Epitan Limited's successful Phase II trial results in sunburn tests in this news article.

On November 28, 2003 Innovations Report of Germany discussed Epitan Limited's successful Phase II trial results in sunburn tests in this news article.

On November 24, 2003 NBC affiliated (WCMH-NBC4) news of Colombus, Ohio discussed Melanotan for tanning, weight loss and for sexual dysfunction in this news article.

On November 20, 2003 ABC affiliated (KLTV-ABC2) news of Tyler, Texas discussed Melanotan for tanning, weight loss and for sexual dysfunction in this news article.

On November 20, 2003 NBC affiliated (WNCN-NBC17) news of Raleigh, North Carolina discussed Melanotan for tanning, weight loss and for sexual dysfunction in this news article.

On November 20, 2003 NBC affiliated (WIS-NEWS10) news of Columbia, South Carolina discussed Melanotan for tanning, weight loss and for sexual dysfunction in this news article.

On November 13, 2003 ABC affiliated (WMAR-ABC2) news of Baltimore, Maryland discussed Melanotan for tanning, weight loss and for sexual dysfunction in this news article.

On November 4, 2003 NBC affiliated (KSBW-TV8) news of Monterey, California discussed Melanotan for tanning, weight loss and for sexual dysfunction in this news article.

On November 4, 2003 Yahoo Financial News reported on Competitive Technologies licencee's progress in their programs to develop Melanotan. Yahoo Financial News

On October 31, 2003 FOX affiliated (WNHS-FOX21) news of Greenville, South Carolina discussed Melanotan for tanning, weight loss and for sexual dysfunction in this news article.

On October 10, 2003 NBC affiliated (KNBC-NBC4) news of Los Angeles, California discussed Melanotan for tanning, weight loss and for sexual dysfunction in this news article.

On October 9, 2003 CBS affiliated (KIDK-CBS3) news of Idaho Falls, Idaho discussed Melanotan for tanning, weight loss and for sexual dysfunction in this news article.

On Septemer 4, 2002 British Broadcasting Corp. (BBC) news of England discussed Epitan Limited's development of an implant for releasing Melanotan this news article.
There are before and after photos of an individual administered Melanotan I showing a tan achieved with it.

On August 26, 2002 Time magazine again reported on Melanotan. Time Magazine article 2 on Melanotan.

On August 10, 2002 the Sydney Morning Herald discussed Melanotan in this article.

On August 6, 2002 CNN again reported on Melanotan with an interview with Dr. Sanjay Gupta discussing the libido boosting effect of Melanotan as well as it's diet suppression effects, find the article here.

On August 4, 2002 the New York Post discussed Melanotan in this article.

On July 31, 2002 the United Kingdom's The Independent discussed Melanotan in this article.

On June 10, 2002 Wired magazine discussed the many effects of Melanotan in this Article.

On June 28, 1999 Time magazine reported on Melanotan. Time Magazine article on Melanotan.

Publications about Melanotan

United States Patent Application for Melanocortin receptor agonists by Merck and Co (mentioning Melanotan)

Melanocortin receptor agonists, penile erection, and sexual motivation: human studies with Melanotan II.
Wessells H, Levine N, Hadley ME, Dorr R, Hruby V.

Increased eumelanin expression and tanning is induced by a superpotent melanotropin [Nle4-D-Phe7]-alpha-MSH in humans.
Dorr RT, Dvorakova K, Brooks C, Lines R, Levine N, Schram K, Miketova P, Hruby V, Alberts DS.

Synthetic melanotropic peptide initiates erections in men with psychogenic erectile dysfunction: double-blind, placebo controlled crossover study.
Wessells H, Fuciarelli K, Hansen J, Hadley ME, Hruby VJ, Dorr R, Levine N

Skin pigmentation and pharmacokinetics of melanotan-I in humans.
Ugwu SO, Blanchard J, Dorr RT, Levine N, Brooks C, Hadley ME, Aickin M, Hruby VJ.

Controlled-release delivery system for the alpha-MSH analog melanotan-I using poloxamer 407.
Bhardwaj R, Blanchard J.

Evaluation of melanotan-II, a superpotent cyclic melanotropic peptide in a pilot phase-I clinical study.
Dorr RT, Lines R, Levine N, Brooks C, Xiang L, Hruby VJ, Hadley ME.

Search the word Melanotan at the National Library of Medicine's PubMed site.

Melanotan-II Studied For Impotence of Psychological Origin Melanotan-II, a synthetic compound that influences skin pigmentation, has been shown to stimulate erections in men whose impotence has a psychological basis. (Journal of Urology 1998;160:389-393)

Dorr RT, Lines RR, Levine N, Brooks C, Xiang L, Hruby VJ, Hadley ME: Evaluation of Melanotan-II, A Superpotent Cyclic Melanotropic Peptide in a Pilot Phase-I Clinical Study, Life Sciences, Vol.58, No 20:1777-1784, 1996

N. Surendran, S.O. Uguw, L.D. Nguyen, E.J. Sterling, .T. Dorr and J. Blanchard, "Absorption Enhancement of Melanotan-I: Comparison of the Caco-2 and Rat In-Situ Models", Drug Delivery, 2, 49-55 (1995).

N. Surendran, L.D. Nguyen, A.R. Giuliano, and J. Blanchard, "Mechanisms of Acylcarnitine-mediated Enhancement of Calcium Transport in the Caco-2 Monolayer Model", J. PHarm. Sci., 84, 269-274 (1995).

N. Surendran, S.O. Ugwu, E.J. Sterling, and J. Blanchard, "High-performance Liquid Chromatographic Assay for Melanotan-1 in Biological Matrices", J. Chromatogr., 670, 235-242 (1995).

E.-L. Lan, S.O. Ugwu, J. Blanchard, X. Fang, V.J. Hruby and S. Sharma, "Preformulation Studies with Melanotan-II: A Potential Skin Cancer Chemopreventive Peptide", J. Pharm. Sci., 83, 1081-1084 (1994).

Where to purchase Melanotan based peptides?

Melanotan peptides are available for purchase via the Buying and Selling forum in our discussion areas however, without proper lab equipment and training/knowledge these cannot be readily used by the average person. There are individuals who have experimented and are experimenting with these peptides individually. Melanotan.org discussion areas cover some of their experiments and experiences. Please note however that any experimentations done with these peptides are the sole responsibility of each individual practicing his or her own experiments and the operators/owners of Melanotan.org and Melanotan.com will not be held responsible for any and all use of information gathered from our sites in formulating said experiments.
USE INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THE DICUSSION AREAS AT YOUR OWN RISK.