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About LinkBackshad an enquiry about a product called melanotan - supposed to be an injectable hormone analogue which stimulates tanning. Anyone heard anything good/bad about it?
Defender Of Pills
had an enquiry about a product called melanotan - supposed to be an injectable hormone analogue which stimulates tanning. Anyone heard anything good/bad about it?
“It's not worth doing something unless you were doing something that someone, somewhere, would much rather you weren't doing.”
Terry Pratchett
Newly registered in 1981
No, but it sounds bad. <g>Originally Posted by Sir_Dispensalot
Where am I?; In the Pharmacy.
Who are you?; The new Number 2.
Who is number 1?; You are number 6.
What do you want?;..................
King Amongst Members
yea, quite recently in news, but dont think its in commercial production, maybe will search the net for it when i can be assed,
Registered Pharmacist
Melanotan and Melanotan II
Recently found this article, did some research because loads of people keep coming in asking to buy needles to inject it with. I'm not really sure where we stand on this tho because Melanotan is technically illegal, but it is presumably still better that users have clean needles
Has anyone else had this problem?
Fantastic Member
Melanotan.org : find info and forums for afamelanotide (formerly CUV1647), bremelanotide, and Melanotan II here.
I bet the rush to use it is due to melanotan 2 sexual actions....again the viagra story repeats itself: we give the product for a skin condition and the poor patients get an unwanted erection.
Defender Of Pills
well if we used it at least a few of us might have somewhere to balance our pens whilst we counsel a patient!
“It's not worth doing something unless you were doing something that someone, somewhere, would much rather you weren't doing.”
Terry Pratchett
King Amongst Members
Melanotan and Melanotan II
Recently found this article, did some research because loads of people keep coming in asking to buy needles to inject it with. I'm not really sure where we stand on this tho because Melanotan is technically illegal, but it is presumably still better that users have clean needles
Has anyone else had this problem?
Remember to log it in your CPD!
Even if you only cut and paste from here!
Member
Hi folks, my first post here but since this i my specialist subject at the moment I thought i'd better chip in.
Before I continue, I am a drug researcher at Liverpool John Moores University. My remit centres around injecting drug use and to that end I also provide monitoring for needle exchange, both fixed site and pharmacy, as well as contributing to training across the north west.
So, having got that out of the way...this is the deal with Melanotan; by the way...this is the brief version, I am more than happy to provide people with more information if you wish.
Melanotan comes in two forms. Melanotan I & II. Melanotan II is the one that increases libido. The drug is an analog of alpha-melanocyte stimulating hormone which increases melanin production; the idea being to provide a sunless tan.
The drug is injected subcutaneously, usually in the belly fat somewhere near the belly button.
Only two companies have the licence for this drug - Clinuvel and Palatin - and it is in Phase III trials for a number of conditions (such as Polymorphous Light Eruptions). The Melanotan II version was trialed for sexual dysfunction but that has been discontinued due to the high incidence of hypertension amongst trial participants.
+++EDIT: Please note the high incidence of hypertension is more a feature of bremalnotide, the analogue of MT-II. However a small number of trial participants in teh most recent human trials of MT-II (2008) id experience rapid and extreme rises in blood pressure. Please note also, this may or may not be an issue for people buying it over the internet...but the fact they don't REALLY know what they are putting in the syringe is a much bigger one. The comment about hypertension may have been overstated but it was appropariate with informaion available to me at the time. I do make mistakes sometimes....surprisingly.. however hypertension is and remains an issue for some people with this drug++++
The drug people are buying from the internet, as well as some beauty salons/hairdressers/randoms in pubs..is originally sold as a "research peptide, not for human use". This is povided by other companies, including some in China - which given their recent record leaves me rather worried!
It is an unlicenced medicine and is illegal to sell but not to possess.
As regards the provision of injecting equipment for it - I would say yes, do it PLEASE!!!
The kits being provided, especially over the internet, are frightening to say the least. Inkjet printed labels stuck on supposedly sterile vials - or in the case of the ready mixed stuff we bought - small vials with caps that had clearly been prised off before the stuff was mixed. The kits have one or two syringes in them, unwrapped. Given the need for daily injections for 10 days or more to start with - providing one needle is scary to say the least.
We've had reports of groups of young girls sharing one syringe between them for two weeks. I think you'll agree there is a significant problem there.
For those providing syringe exchange; please do provide suitable kit (insulin needles) and advice on proper injection. In particular the inherent dangers in the following:
Re-using or sharing injecting equipment
Subcutaneous injection (much higher risk of bacterial infection...even if they do think they're "clean")
The difference between "clean" (i shower regularly) and "clinically clean" (i swabbed the injecting site first)
It could also be worth pointing out that, despite what it says on internet sites and forums - the drug has NOT been found safe for general human use, it is NOT licenced as a cometic..and won't be - and that the kits are not put together by people who really understand sterile procedure or human physiology. So the risks are actually quite high.
I hope this is of some use to you - feel free to contant me if you want any more information about it, or round needle exchange generally for that matter. Always happy to natter
Last edited by martin0642; 5th, February 2009 at 10:08 AM. Reason: clarifying my position
Junior Member
I am an Environmental Health Officer who has been looking into the regulation of this product for some months now. I am having difficulty establishing whether this is a cosmetic or medical product. The MHRA say the product does not hold a licence as a medicine and cannot be distributed commercially within the UK. Has any of your research covered the regulation of this product?
Defender Of Pills
EHO, it's an analog of a naturally occurring hormone therefore it's a drug and is subject to regulation by the MRHA - it's not from a natural source so cannot be classified as a herbal product either.
Martin is quite right to say that it is an unlicenced medicine and is illegal to sell but not to possess. If you know of any salons or shops selling it then it's time to pay them as visit as they are breaking the medicines act act the very least.
As martin's extremely good reply outlines if it's coming into the UK with crap injection equipment / poor sterile procedures used when packing then it's only a matter of time until someone dies using it.
If you get the opportunity to take down dodgy retailers selling the unregulated crap then stomp on them with the full force of your right boot, or failing that the right boot of the law.
If your regs can't get them could trading standards?
This however isn't to say that if it does eventually pass all the legal hurdles and obtains a uk marketing authorisation that perfectly safe kits will become available (we could even see it going the way of these 'botox parties')
“It's not worth doing something unless you were doing something that someone, somewhere, would much rather you weren't doing.”
Terry Pratchett
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