Drug-induced pseudoleucoderma: a commentary.

© 2012 The Authors. doi: 10.2340/00015555-1235 Journal Compilation © 2012 Acta Dermato-Venereologica. ISSN 0001-5555 Sir, We read with interest the article by von Bartenwerffer et al. (1) about a deeply tanned patient who exhibited multiple white macules on his skin after self-application of an alleged synthetic alpha melanocyte stimulating hormone (α-MSH) analogue. The names “afamelanotide”, “melanotan” and even “CUV1647” were used by the authors to refer to the substance used by the patient. Illegal sun-tan products are widely marketed online under the name “melanotan” or “afamelanotide”, or even under the registered trade name “Scenesse®”, despite the fact that several publications and the regulatory authorities have warned the public on the use of such substances (2–4). An internet search using these terms found more than half million hits besides Clinuvel, the only pharmaceutical company licensed to produce afamelanotide (E. Minder, www.google.com, accessed 1 June 2011). In the above-cited work, the authors did not give a detailed description of the product used by the patient, for example, the name of manufacturer, nor did they examine the purity of the applied substance. It is well known that such internet-marketed “drugs” may contain significant amount of impurities that can lead to adverse reactions in patients. The legally produced pure substance afamelanotide or CUV1647 has been applied effectively to patients with photodermatosis and caused only minor adverse reactions (5–7). To avoid confusion, we recommend limiting the use of the generic names “afamelanotide, CUV1647” and the registered trade name “Scenesse®” to the legally produced α-MSH analogue, and distinguishing the legal drug from the internet-marketed substances such as “sun-tan jabs” or “melanotan”.