Cyclic octapeptide melanocortin-4 (MC4) receptor agonist
Setmelanotide
An approved cyclic melanocortin-4 receptor agonist for rare genetic and acquired forms of obesity. It belongs to the same melanocortin analogue family as bremelanotide, afamelanotide and melanotan II, each with its own regulatory position.
Why people are interested in Setmelanotide
An approved cyclic melanocortin-4 receptor agonist for rare genetic and acquired forms of obesity. It belongs to the same melanocortin analogue family as bremelanotide, afamelanotide and melanotan II, each with its own regulatory position.
- Melanocortin analogues— a research-category classification, not a claimed use
- Approved drug substances— a research-category classification, not a claimed use
Where the interest comes from differs by compound: published research, an approved use, clinical discussion, community discussion and vendor claims are different things. This page keeps them apart — the sections below say which kind of source supports each statement.
Quick facts
- Molecular weight
- 1117.3 Da (anhydrous free base, FDA label)
- Sequence length
- 97 chars
- CAS number
- 920014-72-8
- PubChem CID
- 11993702
0 evidence records indexed · 0 clinical trials · last reviewed 15 September 2026
Research at a glance
No evidence records in this file yet.
What has actually been studied
What is still unknown
What we know
Editorial reading of the records below, labelled as Therapept analysis. How records are built
What remains uncertain
Preparation and handling
Lyophilized peptides ship as powders; whatever happens next involves diluents, concentrations and storage conditions that are compound- and product-specific. Therapept’s preparation guides explain the vocabulary and the arithmetic; the product’s own documentation states its requirements.
United States regulatory status
FDA-approved drug substance
NDA 213793 (IMCIVREE)
Marketed in the United States as IMCIVREE, approved to reduce excess body weight and maintain weight reduction in specified patients with acquired hypothalamic obesity, Bardet-Biedl syndrome, or obesity due to POMC, PCSK1 or LEPR deficiency confirmed by genetic testing.
- IMCIVREE (setmelanotide acetate), NDA 213793, approved 25 November 2020 as a new molecular entity under priority review.
- The label effective 1 April 2026 includes acquired hypothalamic obesity alongside the genetic indications.
- Not named on the WADA 2026 Prohibited List.
Regulatory status describes how a substance is classified. It is not a safety assessment, and it says nothing about the quality of any particular material.
Technical identity
- Compound class
- Cyclic octapeptide melanocortin-4 (MC4) receptor agonist
- Sequence
- Ac-Arg-cyclo[Cys-D-Ala-His-D-Phe-Arg-Trp-Cys]-NH2, with a disulfide bond between residues 2 and 8
- Molecular formula
- C49H68N18O9S2
- Molecular weight
- 1117.3 Da (anhydrous free base, FDA label)
- CAS number
- 920014-72-8
- PubChem CID
- 11993702
- Research categories
- Melanocortin analogues, Approved drug substances
Sources
Last reviewed 15 September 2026 · Compiled by Therapept Editorial · How these records are built