The Peptide Atlas
PT-141 (Bremelanotide)
A seven-amino-acid peptide that works on the brain circuits involved in sexual desire.
Class
Melanocortin receptor agonist
Evidence
Established
Status
FDA-approved (Vyleesi); also made by compounding pharmacies.
Forms
Subcutaneous injection; a compounded nasal spray also exists
What people use it for
Bringing back sexual desire, in women especially, and by men when blood-flow drugs weren't the answer.
The signal
Desire starts in the brain, in signaling networks that include the melanocortin system. PT-141 activates melanocortin receptors, which sit upstream of the arousal response rather than downstream in the blood vessels.
How it works
Taken before intimacy, it stimulates melanocortin receptors in the brain. It's used as needed rather than daily, because the effect follows the dose.
What the research shows
Two Phase 3 trials in premenopausal women with low desire (the RECONNECT studies, about 1,200 women) found it improved desire and reduced the distress that comes with losing it, compared with placebo [1], and a long-term extension study followed safety over a year [2]. The FDA approved it in 2019 under the brand name Vyleesi. Nausea is the most common side effect, most often with the first few doses.
What people get wrong
That it's "female Viagra." Viagra works on blood flow and does nothing for desire. PT-141 works in the brain, on wanting rather than plumbing, which is why it's the route that gets studied for desire itself.
Pepvio prescribes this through licensed U.S. physicians and pharmacies. Pepvio's PT-141 program
References
- Kingsberg SA et al., Obstet Gynecol (2019). Bremelanotide for the Treatment of Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder: Two Randomized Phase 3 Trials. PubMed
- Simon JA et al., Obstet Gynecol (2019). Long-Term Safety and Efficacy of Bremelanotide for Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder. PubMed
Last reviewed 2026-08-24. Every reference is verified against the primary literature at review time. How the Atlas grades evidence