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FDA-approvedMelanocortin agonist (afamelanotide)Photoprotection

Melanotan I (afamelanotide)

Afamelanotide (melanotan I) is FDA-approved as the Scenesse implant to increase pain-free light exposure in erythropoietic protoporphyria.

Last reviewed by The Peptide Directory Editorial Team

What is Melanotan I?

Afamelanotide (melanotan I) is FDA-approved as the Scenesse implant to increase pain-free light exposure in erythropoietic protoporphyria. Melanotan I (afamelanotide) is an FDA-approved prescription medicine (SCENESSE); "research use only" vials sold online are not the approved product.

Key takeaways

  1. Melanotan I (afamelanotide) is an FDA-approved prescription medicine (SCENESSE); "research use only" vials sold online are not the approved product.
  2. PubMed indexes 104 papers on Melanotan I (10 tagged as clinical trials) as of October 19, 2026.
  3. ClinicalTrials.gov lists 23 registered studies using Melanotan I.
  4. 22 vendors in our directory listed Melanotan I in their public catalog on October 19, 2026.

Structure

2D chemical structure of Melanotan I (C78H111N21O19), as depicted by PubChem
Structure: PubChem CID 16197727 (C78H111N21O19, 1,646.8 g/mol). 2D depiction from NCBI PubChem, retrieved October 19, 2026.

Regulatory & access status

Melanotan I (afamelanotide) is an FDA-approved prescription medicine (SCENESSE); "research use only" vials sold online are not the approved product.

  • SCENESSE — CLIVUNEL INC, application NDA210797 (prescription). Drugs@FDA

Sellers that market unapproved peptides for human use can receive FDA warning letters; our vendor directory links any letter we found on fda.gov.

How much research exists on Melanotan I (afamelanotide)?

PubMed indexes 104 papers mentioning Melanotan I (afamelanotide) in the title or abstract, 59 of them from the last five years and 10 tagged as clinical trials (search run October 19, 2026; repeat the search).

Most relevant recent papers

Registered clinical studies

ClinicalTrials.gov lists 23 studies with Melanotan I (afamelanotide) as an intervention (see all). Most recent:

What the evidence does not show

  • Paper counts measure research attention, not whether Melanotan I works or is safe.

Research suppliers that list Melanotan I

22 vendors in our directory listed a product matching Melanotan I in their public catalog on October 19, 2026. Listed alphabetically; a listing is not an endorsement. Research use only.

Prices per mg, where we could verify them, are on our price comparison.

Melanotan I reconstitution math

Lab arithmetic only, not dosing guidance: use the peptide calculator to turn a vial size and diluent volume into a concentration.

Melanotan I FAQ

Is Melanotan I FDA-approved?

Melanotan I (afamelanotide) is an FDA-approved prescription medicine (SCENESSE); "research use only" vials sold online are not the approved product.

Is Melanotan I safe?

Safety data come from the published studies listed on this page; read them in full. Products sold as "research use only" have no FDA review of their purity, sterility or dose.

How much research is there on Melanotan I?

PubMed indexes 104 papers on Melanotan I (10 tagged as clinical trials) as of October 19, 2026.

Who sells Melanotan I?

Ascension Peptides, Atomik Labz, Backroad Aminos, BioLongevity Labs, Biotech Peptides, Bulk Peptide Supply and 16 more listed it on their public catalogs when we checked; a listing is not an endorsement.

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