Is Melanotan II legal in Australia?

Is Melanotan II in the Australian Poisons Standard?

Yes. Australia's October 2026 Poisons Standard has its own entry for Melanotan II in Schedule 4. The document's full name is the Therapeutic Goods (Poisons Standard—October 2026) Instrument 2026, F2026L01327. A line check of it on 16 October 2026 found the entry. The Poisons Standard is the national list that sorts medicines and poisons into classes. Schedule 4 is the class for prescription-only medicines. The same check did not find Melanotan II under Appendix D, clause 5, a part that adds extra controls for some substances. A schedule entry says how a substance is classed. It does not say that an approved product exists.

The check read the Schedule 4 entries, the index and Appendix D clause 5. Melanotan II was not named on its own in that clause. This is not a legal ruling on every group entry or on every law that may apply. The instrument can be replaced or changed, so a later edition may differ from the October 2026 text quoted here. What Schedule 4 and Appendix D mean explains the two terms.

What does the TGA say about Melanotan II?

The TGA says Melanotan II is a prescription-only medicine in Australia. It says Melanotan II is not approved for use as a tanning agent. It also says no products containing Melanotan II are on the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods (ARTG). The ARTG is the national list of approved medicines and health products. A January 2025 TGA blog says melanotan is not approved for sale or use as a tanning agent in Australia. It adds that these tanning products have not been assessed for quality or safety. Both statements are the regulator's own wording, linked in the key facts above.

The August 2026 advisory also reports a laboratory finding. TGA laboratories confirmed Melanotan II in five seized nasal spray bottles of one brand. The estimated amount in the highest bottle was more than twice that in the lowest. That result covers five seized bottles. It is not a rule about all products. The TGA also asks the public to report suspected side effects to it, and to talk to a health care practitioner about any concerns. The side effects page covers the reports.

Is a Schedule 4 entry the same as being an approved medicine?

No. A Schedule 4 entry classes a substance as prescription-only. A registered ARTG medicine is one specific product that has been approved. So a substance can be scheduled while no approved product containing it exists. For Melanotan II, the TGA says no product is on the ARTG. Afamelanotide, also called Melanotan I, is different. The research team's check on 16 October 2026 found that it has its own Schedule 4 entry. It also has an active registered medicine, ARTG record 327947, which contains afamelanotide acetate. Approval of one product does not approve every preparation of a substance, or every use.

Afamelanotide and Melanotan II are different molecules, and each has its own row in the Poisons Standard. PT-141, also called bremelanotide, is a third molecule. The same check found no individual PT-141 entry. It could not settle whether a broader group heading covers PT-141, so this page states no status for it. The two legal rows are kept apart. What Melanotan II is sets out how the three molecules differ.

Is Melanotan II banned in sport?

The WADA 2026 Prohibited List does not name Melanotan II. WADA is the World Anti-Doping Agency, which sets the list of substances banned in sport. A text search of the list, in force from 1 January 2026, was run for this page. Section S0 covers any drug not dealt with in later sections that has no current approval from a government health authority for human treatment. The TGA says Melanotan II is not approved as a tanning agent and has no ARTG product. But a missing name does not mean a substance is allowed. The Australian approval record alone cannot settle approval in every country, or decide an athlete's status.

WADA's S0 text lists named examples, and Melanotan II is not one of them. This page does not establish approval status worldwide or make a ruling on this substance. An athlete should check with their anti-doping organisation before relying on this page. WADA issues a new list each year, so a later list may differ from the 2026 text.

Evidence limits

What do these records not settle?

Anyone can search the TGA's own register for a named product (TGA ARTG search). This page did not confirm a product-level register result. The 16 October 2026 check could not confirm an exact registered product for Melanotan II, and a missing match is not proof that none exists. The TGA's statement of 17 August 2026 is the regulator's own account. The Australian peptide law guide explains how the layers fit together.