Setmelanotide
Metabolic Approved · US & EU Human trials
Also called Imcivree
An eight-amino-acid ring-shaped peptide that activates the MC4 receptor, a key switch in the brain's hunger and energy-use pathway. It restores that signal in people whose pathway is broken by specific gene defects. Skin darkening is a common side effect.
Why people take it
What studies report
- Substantial weight loss and large drops in hunger scores in people with POMC, PCSK1 or LEPR deficiency and Bardet-Biedl syndrome
In practice Off-label
- Prescription-only and genuinely restricted to diagnosed genetic conditions
Reported real-world use, not evidence and not a recommendation.
Worth knowing: Only works where the MC4R pathway is broken by specific gene defects; it does not help general obesity. Causes skin darkening and injection-site reactions.
Status: FDA-approved (Imcivree, 2020) for obesity caused by certain rare genetic conditions.
- Route
- Subcutaneous injection, prescribed
- Formula
- C49H68N18O9S2
- Molecular weight
- 1117.3 g/mol
- CAS
- 920014-72-8
- Available as
- 15 mg
Educational information only. Nothing here is medical advice, a dosing protocol, or a recommendation to use any compound. Most entries describe substances not approved for human use. Talk to a licensed clinician before acting on anything you read here. How to read these entries.