By Ahmed Abdelsalam
Victorian coroner David Ryan has recommended the Therapeutic Goods Administration review the safety and therapeutic benefits of unapproved peptides following the death of Australian actor Richard Norton, 75, in March 2025.
Coroner recommends schedule change
Norton, an experienced fight choreographer, stuntman and martial artist who worked with stars such as Chuck Norris and served as a bodyguard for David Bowie, went into cardiac arrest after injecting prescribed but unapproved peptides CJC1295 and ipamorelin. In findings handed down Wednesday, Ryan said he was not satisfied the substances should be available for prescription and suggested moving them from schedule 4 to schedule 10, restricting use to clinical trials or experimental settings.
Details of Norton's treatment
Norton approached medical practitioner Dr Jerzy Muchnicki in March 2025 seeking peptide therapy for fatigue, shoulder pain and loss of muscle mass. After blood tests and an informed consent form outlining risks including anaphylaxis, he was prescribed CJC1295 and ipamorelin on 19 March. A week later he reported feeling better, but on 28 March disclosed he had been administering double the prescribed dose. A nurse advised him to return to the prescribed amount, and the doctor added two more peptides. Hours after his next injection, Norton felt hot and flushed, became unresponsive and died at the Alfred hospital on 30 March.
Doctor investigated
The Medical Board of Australia investigated Muchnicki. An independent expert found insufficient evidence that CJC1295 or ipamorelin are safe, effective or beneficial for human use, and deemed the doctor's notes sparse and substantially below standard. Muchnicki acknowledged the criticisms, accepted accountability, expressed sorrow and swore off prescribing peptides without robust clinical evidence. The board ordered one-on-one training for clinical record keeping but took no further regulatory action.
The TGA has warned consumers about the risks of importing and using unapproved peptides promoted online for weight loss, muscle growth, anti-ageing, recovery and performance enhancement.
