MessageResearchers Claim Pill Makes People Tan, Thin, Sexy
Hormones Researched In United States, Australia

POSTED: 2:27 p.m. PST November 4, 2003
UPDATED: 2:42 p.m. PST November 4, 2003

Skin cancer researchers say they've made a phenomenal discovery by accident that might make people tan, thin and sexy, all at once. 


  

Some are calling the new drug "the Barbie drug." But as it gets closer to market, there's growing concern about promises of perfection. 


University of Arizona scientists have created a synthetic hormone that's on the pharmaceutical fast track. 


"You could theoretically get tanned and have, certainly, a lot of erectile activity. And you might actually start to lose weight," said Dr. Robert Dorr. 


It may be making headlines as the "Barbie drug," but it started as serious work. Skin cancer researchers decided to test a hormone called Melanotan II on a group of men. Their hope was to stimulate a natural tan without the sun. But in addition to the glowing skin they got, researchers stumbled on surprising side effects -- so exciting that one researcher even tried it out on himself. 


"After about 10 days of taking this Melanotan II, I lost about 10 pounds," said Dr. Mac Hadley. 


"We know that it causes short-term feeling of fullness or nausea," Dorr said. 


Researchers said the hormone also triggers immediate sexual benefits. 


"Even at a very low starting dose, every subject had an erection," Dorr said. 


For details on the clinical trials, see source list below. 


Several companies are developing customized drugs based on Melanotan II. Each drug is focused on a different benefit. An Australian lab is now testing an injection called EpiTan. Makers claim it tans skin without any of the dangerous side effects from UV rays. 


"It is a total duplicate of the normal tanning process in humans, except it occurs without sunlight," said EpiTan spokesman Terry Winters. 


In the United States, researchers are working on a sexual spin-off called PT-141. It's a nasal spray that promises to boost the libido in both men and women. 


"When we give it to humans, it produces blood flow into the genitalia," said Palatin Technologies spokesman Carl Spana. 


And while each product will be marketed for one specific use, researchers say it's a win-win-win situation for patients. 


Dr. Monica Ramirez Basco, a psychologist and author of the book "Never Good Enough," says she sees the benefits, but she worries about the ideology a drug like this would encourage. 


"It just raises the bar. So now, everybody is expected to be thin enough and beautiful enough and sexy enough. And it just creates a whole new way to feel like a failure," Basco said. 


EpiTan has completed phase-two clinical trials in Australia and is expecting Federal Drug Administration approval. Trials are expected by mid-2004. PT-141 has completed phase-two clinical trials in the United States. 


SOURCE LIST 


a.. Dr. Robert Dorr
University of Arizona
520-626-7892 


a.. Dr. Mac Hadley
University of Arizona
520-626-6084 


a.. Carl Spana, Ph.D.
Palatin Technologies
4-C Cedar Brook Drive
Contact: Janet E. Nagy
609-495-2216 


a.. Terry E. Winters, Ph.D.
EpiTan
480-661-6600 


a.. Monica Ramirez Basco
Psychologist
817-781-7333