Warning over ‘Barbie’ drug

The injectable agent can cause dangerous adverse events, the regulator says
Jocelyn Wright
Woman tanned with melanotan
Model Martina Big pumps up her breasts. She says she uses Melanotan as she wants to be ‘crispy brown’. Photo: Getty

The TGA is urging people keen on tanning to steer clear of a so-called image-enhancing substance dubbed the ‘Barbie’ drug.

The watchdog is warning that the unlicensed agents Melanotan-I and Melanotan-II — sold online for as little as $80 a vial — can cause kidney failure, impaired liver function and rhabdomyolysis.