Dersimelagon dosage and evidence
Written by Aaron CuhaReviewed Sep 2026
The short answer
Dersimelagon is a daily pill that switches on MC1R, the skin's tanning receptor. It is a small-molecule cousin of afamelanotide. In January 2026 it passed its final-stage study in erythropoietic protoporphyria, a condition where sunlight causes skin pain.
Evidence grade for Dersimelagon: Moderate. The rule: at least one finished study in people, and at least 100 people who took it. The sum on this page: 1 completed trial, 165 people given it. A grade counts how much has been done to people, not whether it works.
- People given it
- 165
- Human studies
- 1
- Found nothing
- 0
Dose
No human dose established
Amounts that were given in studies sit in Human evidence on this page. None of them is a personal dose.
1 completed trial, 165 people given it
1 effects reported, 1 wanted, by people using it, not a trial
In plain English
In plain English, from Aaron
This is how I would explain it to a friend. The evidence, with the numbers, is further down the page.
Dersimelagon is a daily pill that switches on MC1R, the skin's tanning receptor. It helps the skin make protective pigment. It is being made for rare conditions where sunlight causes burning skin pain. It is not approved.
What people take it for
- More time in daylight without pain, for people with a sun pain condition.
- Some melanotan users hope it is a cleaner tanning pill. It is not made for that.
What studies in people showed
In the final-stage study, 165 people took 200 mg a day. The company says it beat a dummy pill on how long people could stay in daylight without pain. The numbers behind that are not public yet, and no journal has checked them.
What people report
Reports, not study results
The good
- In the company report on this page, people could stay in daylight longer without pain.
The bad
- The reports on this page do not list side effects, and we have not collected user reports on this one yet.
Where these come from: The good line is from the company release and study record on this page. We have not collected forum or user reports for this drug yet.
My bottom line
It is a drug for a rare disease, not a tan. Do not treat it as a cleaner melanotan.
An opinion, not a finding. I am a coach, not a doctor.
What it has been measured to do
Nothing indexed yet
The 2 citations on this page do not report a result for any of the 36 goals indexed here. Most of what sits here is something else: a listing of a planned study, a study of how the body handles the drug, a safety report or a government record. None of those tests whether it works.
Show full evidence
What is Dersimelagon?
Dersimelagon is a daily pill that switches on MC1R, the skin's tanning receptor. It is a small-molecule cousin of afamelanotide. In January 2026 it passed its final-stage study in erythropoietic protoporphyria, a condition where sunlight causes skin pain.
Dersimelagon switches on the melanocortin-1 receptor, or MC1R. That makes the skin build more protective pigment, without the wider effects of the melanotan-type peptides that hit many receptors. In the final-stage INSPIRE study, 165 people took 200 mg a day. It passed its main test in erythropoietic protoporphyria and X-linked protoporphyria, two conditions in which sunlight causes burning pain in the skin. The main measure was how long people could stay in daylight without pain. It has FDA Fast Track and Orphan labels. It matters to readers of the melanotan pages because it is the regulated, targeted version of the same idea.
How does Dersimelagon work?
It switches on MC1R, which tells skin cells to make more dark pigment, called eumelanin.
The evidence, in charts
Fig. 1a · how many people
165people, across 1 study in people cited here
| Study | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04402489 2026 | 165 | 100% |
The whole total is one study of 165. Counts are the number of people each study on this page says it signed up. That includes studies that only watched people and gave nobody the compound. 1 more study in people gives no headcount and is not counted here. Studies still signing people up are left out, and only studies cited on this page are counted.
Fig. 1b · evidence mix
All 2 sources here are studies in people.
- Study in people · done in people2100%
Counted from the list of sources on this page. It counts only what we cite, so there may be more studies out there. A review counts once, however many studies it sums up.
Fig. 2 · evidence over time
Every source here was published in 2026.
Too few different years on this page to draw a timeline.
Fig. 3 · legal status at a glance
US
Not approved
UK
Not approved
AU
Not approved
CA
Not approved
Not approved in any of the four countries shown. This is what the law says, not a verdict on the science. See Legal status below for the full text and any notes.
Fig. 4 · how much does what
Nobody has tested different amounts in people
This chart would show how the effect changes as the amount goes up. For this compound, nobody has measured that in people. So we leave it empty. We will not borrow an animal chart and pretend it works the same in people.
Fig. 5 · what the molecule is
- Kind of compound
- Small molecule
- Molecule weight
- 675.8 Da
- Half-life
- Stated in words, not a numbersee the exact wording below
- Chain length
- None on file
No amino acid sequence is on file for Dersimelagon, which is expected: a small molecule is not built from amino acids.
The studies we cite
- Study in people2026Tanabe Pharma announces positive topline results for dersimelagon in EPP and XLP
The trial passed the test it was built for. Tanabe reported that dersimelagon beat a dummy pill in erythropoietic protoporphyria, a condition in which sunlight causes burning pain in the skin. The measure was how long people could stay in daylight without pain. This came as a company announcement, so the numbers behind it are not public and no journal has reviewed them.
INSPIRE met its primary endpoint.
- Study in people2026INSPIRE Phase 3 of dersimelagon
The trial record describes the study and posts no results. 165 people took 200 mg of dersimelagon a day in the large final-stage trial, which covered two related light-sensitivity disorders. The company has said the trial succeeded, but the registry entry itself carries no figures. Until the full data are published, the size of the benefit and how long it lasts are not public.
165 patients on 200 mg daily.
Common questions
Has Dersimelagon been tested in people?
Yes. 165 people given it across 1 completed trial cited here, 0 of which found nothing. Dersimelagon is a daily pill that switches on MC1R, the skin's tanning receptor. It is a small-molecule cousin of afamelanotide. In January 2026 it passed its final-stage study in erythropoietic protoporphyria, a condition where sunlight causes skin pain.
What is the Dersimelagon dosage?
No human dose established. Amounts that were given in studies sit in Human evidence on this page. None of them is a personal dose. 1 completed trial, 165 people given it
Is Dersimelagon FDA-approved?
Investigational; a final-stage study hit its main goal. The FDA gave it Fast Track and Orphan (rare disease) status
Is dersimelagon a tanning drug?
No. It is being made for rare diseases in which light hurts the skin. Like afamelanotide, it is not a cosmetic product.