PT-141

Also called Bremelanotide, Vyleesi, PT 141

Studied in:Sexual health

Educational only, not medical advice. Dosaly reports what has been studied; it isn't a recommendation to use PT-141 or any amount of it. Talk to a clinician.

Approved by the FDA as a prescription medicine (Vyleesi) for acquired, generalized hypoactive sexual desire disorder in premenopausal women; not approved by the EMA (as of October 2026).

Research applications

Low sexual desire in premenopausal women (phase 3 RECONNECT trials, FDA-approved use)
Melanocortin (MC4R) signalling in the brain
Nausea, flushing and headache reported in trials

What studies have looked at, not proven uses.

What it is

PT-141 (bremelanotide) is a peptide that acts on the brain. Based on two large trials, it's FDA-approved for low sexual desire in premenopausal women.

More detail

PT-141, known by its drug name bremelanotide, is a synthetic cyclic peptide closely related to melanotan II, itself a lab-made analog of alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone. It activates melanocortin receptors, mainly MC4R in the brain, rather than acting on blood flow. Two phase 3 trials (RECONNECT) in premenopausal women with hypoactive sexual desire disorder reported improvements in desire and distress scores compared with placebo, which led to FDA approval in 2019. Nausea, flushing and headache were more common than with placebo. An independent reanalysis described the benefits as statistically modest.

Evidence listed here

2 human studies
1 review

Results from cells and animals often don't carry over to people. How to read peptide research

Molecular info

Class: Cyclic peptide (melanocortin receptor agonist)
Length: 7 amino acids
Sequence: Ac-Nle-cyclo[Asp-His-D-Phe-Arg-Trp-Lys]-OH
Research areas: Sexual health

Six of its amino acids form a ring; uses norleucine (Nle) and D-phenylalanine. Drug name: bremelanotide.