User:Mr. Ibrahem/Afamelanotide

Afamelanotide, sold under the brand name Scenesse, is a medication used to prevent skin damage from the sun in erythropoietic protoporphyria. It increases the amount of light exposure before pain occurs. It is used as an implant under the skin.

Common side effects include nausea, cough, tiredness, sleepiness, increased skin pigmentation, and skin irritation. It should not be used in people with kidney or liver problems. Safety in pregnancy is unclear. It is a melanocortin 1 receptor (MC1-R) activator, which increases the amount of dark pigment produced by the skin.

Afamelanotide was approved for medical use in Europe in 2015 and the United States in 2019. As of 2022 it is not currently available in the United Kingdom. In the United States it costs 49,000 USD per implant as of 2022.