A Victorian coroner found that Australian actor Richard Norton died after injecting the unapproved peptides CJC1295 and Ipamorelin. The coroner recommended that the Therapeutic Goods Administration review the peptides and consider tighter restrictions, including limiting them to clinical trials or experimental use.
Richard Norton, a 75-year-old Australian actor and martial artist, died on March 30, 2025. He died at Melbourne's Alfred Hospital. Coroner David Ryan announced on Oct. 28 that the death was caused by complications from injecting CJC-1295 and Ipamorelin, two unapproved peptides prescribed to him by a doctor. In a report filed in the Coroners Court of Victoria, Ryan concluded that the death was triggered by Norton's injection of peptides.
What the coroner found
The coroner found Norton suffered a cardiac arrest after injecting the unapproved products. The report said Norton had been taking more of the medication than the dose his medical practitioner prescribed. His death appears to be the first confirmed fatality in Australia linked to unapproved peptides, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. The peptides were prescribed by doctor Jerzy Muchnicki and compounded by a licensed compounding pharmacy in Queensland.
The days before his death
Two days before he died, Norton told his doctor's nurse he had been administering double the prescribed dose, and the nurse advised him to use only the prescribed dose from the following week. On March 28, 2025, he said he had been injecting twice his prescribed dose; that evening he felt hot and flushed after another injection before collapsing. The report found he became unresponsive hours after the discussion with the nurse. Norton reportedly told the nurse he doubled his dose after noticing improvement, and a doctor then prescribed him two more peptides. He had signed a consent form acknowledging anaphylaxis was among the possible risks, after his doctor discussed the experimental nature of the treatment and its risks.
Recommendations to the regulator
The coroner recommended that the Therapeutic Goods Administration review the benefits and risks of peptides such as CJC1295 and Ipamorelin and consider whether further restrictions should be imposed. Ryan urged tougher restrictions on the use of unapproved peptides. That included considering shifting them from schedule 4 prescription-only drugs to schedule 10, which would allow them only for clinical trials or other experimental use.
Medical board findings
The Medical Board of Australia's independent expert found insufficient evidence that CJC1295 or Ipamorelin is safe, effective or beneficial for human use. The expert, Professor Alistair Vickery, described Muchnicki's notes as sparse, inadequate and perfunctory. The board found Muchnicki's clinical care met a standard reasonably expected, and he received a caution. The board ruled that regulatory action was not merited.
