Other safety alerts
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| Australia : Beware the Barbie drug: the dangers of using Melanotan |
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The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) announces that it urges consumers to steer clear of using products containing 'Melanotan' without advice from a medical professional. In Australia, Melanotan is a prescription only medicine and regulated as a therapeutic product. Misuse has proven, serious side effects that can be very damaging to health.
Melanotan-I and Melanotan-II are typically promoted as tanning products and may be in the form of pills, creams, injectable and nasal or misting sprays. Regardless of the how the product enters the body, the associated risks remain, and are not new. These products are not included on the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods (ARTG) and have not been assessed for quality, safety or efficacy by the TGA.
The TGA has previously warned consumers against using Melanotan-I, Melanotan-II or any other related injectable or ingestible tanning products. Side-effects include darkened skin, increased moles and freckles, nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, flushing of the face, involuntary stretching and yawning, and spontaneous erections. The TGA counterpart in the United Kingdom (UK) also listed acne, kidney, brain and heart problems as reported side-effects.
Melanotan-I (Afamelanotide) and Melanotan II are listed in Schedule 4 (prescription-only medicines) of the Poisons Standard in Australia. This means they require regulation and monitoring by the TGA and medical authorities because they have the potential to cause harm if not used under the supervision and instruction of a health professional.
Please refer to the following website in TGA for details:
http://www.tga.gov.au/news/news/beware-barbie-drug-dangers-using-melanotan
In Hong Kong, there is no registered pharmaceutical product containing Melanotan-I (afamelanotide) or Melanotan II. Related news was previously issued by the UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency and the TGA, and was posted on the Drug Office website on 13 Sep 2012, 4 Nov 2017 and 14 Nov 2019.
Ends/ Saturday, October 29, 2022
Issued at HKT 13:30
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