Melanocorp Inc. the distributor of an injectable tanning solution has been warned by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The company is responsible for the sale of Melanotan II, a drug developed at the University of Arizona. Melanotan is marketed as being able to “induce skin tanning” and “effectively help in protecting against skin cancer and rosacea.”

The FDA believes that Melanocorp is breaking federal law by marketing the product without FDA-approval. Director of the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, Steven Galson, M.D., M.P.H. notes that “This products is being marketed and sold illegally as a preventative against skin cancer and as a tanning agent.”

Consumers are being advised by the FDA against buying or using the product. Galson said that “Protecting the public from unapproved products such as this… is a top priority at the FDA.”