Afamelanotide
Afamelanotide is a peptide, indexed here under Melanocortin receptor peptides.
Identity
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Classification | Peptide |
| Primary class | Melanocortin receptor peptides |
| CAS registry number | 75921-69-6[1] |
| PubChem CID | 16197727[1] |
| UniProt accession | Unknown No UniProt query was run in v1. |
| Molecular formula | C78H111N21O19[1] |
| Molecular weight | 1646.8 g/mol[1] |
| Amino-acid sequence | Unknown Not reported by the PubChem property set retrieved for this record; no sequence database query was run in v1. |
| Reported half-life | Unknown No pharmacokinetics source was retrieved in v1. PubChem does not carry half-life as a property, so this is recorded as not yet sourced rather than estimated. |
What the cited literature examines
Afamelanotide is an alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone analogue. Its retrieved clinical literature is concentrated on two dermatological indications: erythropoietic protoporphyria, reported in a 2015 New England Journal of Medicine trial and a 2015 British Journal of Dermatology long-term observational study of 115 patients, and vitiligo, reported in a 2013 and a 2015 JAMA Dermatology trial of the compound with narrowband UV-B phototherapy.
A 2017 Clinical Pharmacokinetics review covers pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics and clinical use in dermatological conditions. That review was retrieved but not read for this dataset, so the half-life field on this record remains unsourced rather than populated from it.
[3, 4, 5, 6, 7]Reported mechanism
An alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone analogue acting at melanocortin receptors, with the retrieved clinical literature concentrated on pigmentary endpoints.
[3, 5]Taken from the pigmentary indications stated in the cited 2015 New England Journal of Medicine and 2013 JAMA Dermatology titles, together with the class definition.
Targets named in the cited records: melanocortin 1 receptor.
FDA application register
A query of the FDA Drugs@FDA application register on 2026-10-09 returned 1 application record(s) for this compound name (including NDA210797, marketed as SCENESSE). Material supplied as a research chemical is not the subject of those applications and is not an FDA-approved product.[2]
Scope statement: this records the result of a single automated query against the openFDA drugsfda endpoint on the stated date. It is not legal advice and is not a jurisdiction-by-jurisdiction legality assessment.
Retrieved 2026-10-09.
Amounts reported in the cited literature
Unknown. No retrieved record in this dataset states an amount, so none is shown. Where an amount is recorded it is what a named study reported administering in its own stated model, in the past tense, and is not a protocol.
No study-reported dose was taken from a source read in v1. Literature-reported values are only recorded where the retrieved citation metadata states the figure.
Adverse effects reported in the cited literature
Unknown. No retrieved record in this dataset reports an adverse effect for this compound, so no row is shown. Absence of a row records the absence of a retrieved report, nothing more.
No adverse-effect row was taken from a source read in v1. Rows are only recorded with the study model named and the reporting citation attached.
Other names
Afamelanotide appears under these other names in the cited records or in common usage. Each one resolves to this page rather than to a separate page of its own.
- melanotan I
- Scenesse
- NDP-alpha-MSH
Where this page sits
Research records
Cited research records for Afamelanotide, each with its identifier, the publication type it is indexed as, and the study model stated by its assigned subject headings.
Compounds indexed next to it
- Melanotan II — Melanocortin receptor peptides
- Bremelanotide — Melanocortin receptor peptides
Named targets in the cited records
Class page: Melanocortin receptor peptides. Full index: all indexed compounds.
Questions this page answers
What does the cited literature examine for Afamelanotide?
Afamelanotide is an alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone analogue. Its retrieved clinical literature is concentrated on two dermatological indications: erythropoietic protoporphyria, reported in a 2015 New England Journal of Medicine trial and a 2015 British Journal of Dermatology long-term observational study of 115 patients, and vitiligo, reported in a 2013 and a 2015 JAMA Dermatology trial of the compound with narrowband UV-B phototherapy.
Which class is Afamelanotide indexed under?
Afamelanotide is indexed under Melanocortin receptor peptides. Melanocortin receptor peptides are analogues of alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone that act at melanocortin receptors.
What does the FDA application register show for Afamelanotide?
A query of the FDA Drugs@FDA application register on 2026-10-09 returned 1 application record(s) for this compound name (including NDA210797, marketed as SCENESSE). Material supplied as a research chemical is not the subject of those applications and is not an FDA-approved product.
Sources
- PubChem Compound Summary for CID 16197727, Afamelanotide. PubChem, National Library of Medicine (2026). pubchem:16197727
- Drugs@FDA application register query for this compound, 1 application(s) returned: NDA210797. U.S. Food and Drug Administration, openFDA drugsfda endpoint (2026). fda:afamelanotide
- Afamelanotide for Erythropoietic Protoporphyria. N Engl J Med (2015). pmid:26132941
- Long-term observational study of afamelanotide in 115 patients with erythropoietic protoporphyria. Br J Dermatol (2015). pmid:25494545
- The efficacy of afamelanotide and narrowband UV-B phototherapy for repigmentation of vitiligo. JAMA Dermatol (2013). pmid:23407924
- Afamelanotide and narrowband UV-B phototherapy for the treatment of vitiligo: a randomized multicenter trial. JAMA Dermatol (2015). pmid:25230094
- Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacodynamics of Afamelanotide and its Clinical Use in Treating Dermatologic Disorders. Clin Pharmacokinet (2017). pmid:28063031
On each stated value was matched to the record cited for it. That is record matching, not an appraisal of the research. Compiled and checked by: Peptide Monographs editorial desk. No qualified clinical reviewer.