Melanotan II
Also called MT-II, MT-2, Melanotan 2.
Melanotan II has no FDA-approved product. This page cites 2 sources, and the strongest evidence comes from human trials.
- Status
- No FDA-approved product
- Form
- Injection
- Half-life
- Not modeled
- Strongest evidence
- Human trials
- Cited claims
- 2
- Last updated
- November 6, 2026
What the evidence says
Each claim names the kind of study behind it, what it can't tell you, and where it comes from.
Human trials
A placebo-controlled phase 1 pilot in three healthy men found increased pigmentation in two participants after subcutaneous melanotan II; nausea, fatigue, and spontaneous erections were also reported.
Limits: This very small, short experiment assessed pigmentation and acute effects. It could not establish long-term safety, reliable protection from ultraviolet injury, skin-cancer prevention, or a validated routine tanning schedule.
Human trials
A double-blind crossover study in ten men with organic erectile-dysfunction risk factors found more erectile responses and greater reported desire after subcutaneous melanotan II than after placebo.
Limits: The study measured short-term responses during monitored sessions. Its small sample and frequent nausea, including severe episodes, leave long-term effectiveness and tolerability unresolved. The results do not establish FDA approval.
Regulatory status
United States
Melanotan II has no FDA-approved product. FDA has identified it as an unapproved new drug. Its small human experiments do not establish an approved tanning or erectile-dysfunction treatment. Afamelanotide and bremelanotide are separate molecules whose product approvals do not extend to melanotan II.