Bremelanotide (PT-141) was developed from the peptide hormone Melanotan II. In initial testing, Melanotan II induced darkening of skin pigment, but additionally caused sexual arousal and spontaneous erections as unexpected side effects in nine out of the ten original male volunteer test subjects. Further testing in animals showed Bremelanotide to induce lordosis (a sexual mating behavior) and subsequently tested for its effect in humans. Most of the research has been targeted to women with female sexual dysfunction; it is an effective medication in treating sexual dysfunction in both men (erectile dysfunction or impotence) and women (sexual arousal disorder). Unlike Viagra and other related medications, it does not act upon the vascular system, but directly increases sexual desire via the nervous system.
Bremelanotide currently has no contraindications and is 80% effective in people don’t respond to Viagra or Cialis.
A study from 2008 evaluates the efficacy of bremelanotide in men with erectile dysfunction who were not responders to therapy with sildenafil. The findings were that over 33% of men with ED who did not respond to sildenafil did have a positive response to bremelanotide.
Patients were asked to use at least 16 doses/attempts at home. Positive clinical results were seen in 51 (33.5%) patients in the bremelanotide group compared with 13 (8.5%) patients in the placebo group (p = 0.03). Patients in the bremelanotide group reported significantly greater intercourse satisfaction than those in placebo group (p = 0.03
