HealthRX.com · Printable question sheet
Specialty peptide claim check: myostatin blockers, AOD 9604 and melanotan
Use this when someone offers a myostatin blocker, AOD 9604, HGH fragment or melanotan. Write down the claim, test it with this page's three questions, and keep a dated mole record if melanotan has already been used.
The product or claim
Name on the label
What it is claimed to do
Who is offering it
Routeinjection, nasal spray, oral, implant
Evidence they citetrial number, paper, or none
This page's three questions, and two more
- Does a completed randomized controlled trial support this compound for my condition, in people like me?
- Is the product made in an FDA-registered facility, with identity, purity and sterility testing I can see?
- Is a licensed prescriber monitoring treatment and ordering appropriate lab work?
- Which regulator has reviewed this compound, and what did it conclude?
- What serious harms have been reported, including case reports?
What regulators and trials show
- AOD-9604 is on FDA's list of compounding substances nominated but withdrawn; FDA says it has identified serious adverse events that may be associated with it, though causality is not clear.[1]
- For melanotan II, FDA cites published case reports of serious adverse events including melanoma, posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome, sympathomimetic toxidrome and priapism.[1]
- A dermatology review found four case reports of melanoma arising from existing moles during or shortly after melanotan use; conclusive evidence of a causal link is lacking.[2]
- Afamelanotide's pivotal trials enrolled people with erythropoietic protoporphyria and used an implant every 60 days placed by a clinician.[3]
- The phase 3 apitegromab trial enrolled people aged 2 to 21 with spinal muscular atrophy, not healthy adults.[4]
Mole record for anyone who has used melanotan
Photograph each mole with a ruler beside it. Show any new, changing, itching or bleeding mole to a clinician.
| Date | Where on the body | New or changed? | Size, color or border notes | Shown to a clinician? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Sources for the facts on this sheet
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Certain Bulk Drug Substances for Use in Compounding that May Present Significant Safety Risks. Accessed 2026-10-18. https://www.fda.gov/drugs/human-drug-compounding/certain-bulk-drug-substances-use-compounding-may-present-significant-safety-risks
- Habbema L, Halk AB, Neumann M, Bergman W. Risks of unregulated use of alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone analogues: a review. Int J Dermatol 2017. PMID 28266027. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28266027/
- Langendonk JG, Balwani M, Anderson KE, et al. Afamelanotide for Erythropoietic Protoporphyria. N Engl J Med 2015. PMID 26132941. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26132941/
- Crawford TO, Servais L, Mercuri E, et al. Safety and efficacy of apitegromab in nonambulatory type 2 or type 3 spinal muscular atrophy (SAPPHIRE): a phase 3, double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled trial. Lancet Neurol 2025. PMID 40818473. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40818473/
This sheet records information for a conversation with your prescriber or pharmacist. It does not replace their instructions or the medication's prescribing information.