An ABC News Loop investigation has examined a black market for unapproved peptides that Bloomberg estimates is worth up to $4 billion. Alongside social media promotion, health agencies report escalating use and rising reports of harm, including severe medical complications and death. A coroner found Australian actor Richard Norton’s death was triggered by his injection of unapproved peptides. People involved in the trade say much of its supply originates in China, while NSW emergency department visits linked to unapproved peptides rose from five in July 2025 to almost 220 in September 2026.
Peptides are short chains of amino acids that make up proteins in the body, and some are prescribed by doctors for legitimate medical use. The substances promoted online, such as GHK-Cu, BPC-157 and retatrutide, have not been approved by Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) for the injectable or therapeutic purposes promoted online.
The human toll is detailed in the investigation’s data. Last week, a coroner recommended the TGA consider tougher restrictions. The Australian Poisons Information Centre recorded 345 cases involving unapproved peptides in the first six months of 2026, more than three times the total for all of 2025. In the ACT, a safe injecting service reported it was running out of syringes due to an “enormous surge” in the number of peptide users seeking needles.
Influencer Josh Sawyer, 22, from Adelaide regularly posts videos documenting his use of GHK-Cu. One of his TikTok videos has been viewed more than 415,000 times. When Sawyer first spoke with the ABC, he was working as an affiliate of Vital Peptides Australia and receiving free peptides and commissions from sales, which he said were up to $2,000 a week. Sawyer said some followers who bought from Vital were scammed. “Some were outright scammed … I just didn't trust them at all by the end of it,” he said.
The ABC identified more than 50 businesses claiming to sell the unapproved products to Australians. Sydney-based dealer “Reggie” claimed that at his peak he processed up to 2,000 orders a week and was making about $150,000 a week. “The fact is, this stuff is going to continually flood into the country. You stop one [shipment], that's OK, 20 went through,” he said. Two vendors provided the ABC with videos and images they said were recorded inside factories in Guangzhou and Shenzhen, China. The videos showed peptide vials in storerooms with rubbish bins and being packaged on the floor.
The investigation revealed that certificates of analysis displayed by Vital Peptides Australia had been altered. Janoshik, the European laboratory named on the documents, confirmed the reports were edited and called any company passing off reports in this way “untrustworthy.”
Kara Joyce, a consultant pharmacist, warned the products offer no guarantee of safety. “When you order something online, we can't be sure that it's actually been produced in a sterile environment,” she said. Sonya Weith of Peer Qnect, a helpline for people using performance-enhancing drugs, says calls about unapproved peptides are rising “exponentially.”
Analysis
Why This Matters
- The black market for unapproved peptides is thriving on a broken regulatory feedback loop: influencers promote them, users get hurt, and the opaque supply chain makes it nearly impossible to trace the source or hold anyone accountable.
- The rapid escalation of hospitalisations highlights a growing public health crisis that existing regulations are failing to contain.
- The use of falsified lab reports undermines trust in legitimate scientific testing and makes it dangerously easy for consumers to be deceived about the safety of the products.
Background
Peptides are short chains of amino acids that occur naturally in the body and are used in some prescribed medicines. Separately, a vast black market has grown around synthetic peptides promoted for weight loss, anti-aging, and muscle growth, despite not being approved for human consumption by regulatory agencies like the TGA or FDA. The rise of the influencer economy on platforms like TikTok has supercharged demand.
Key Perspectives
- Influencer Josh Sawyer: Admits to promoting the substances for profit and now calls his former supplier Vital Peptides Australia a "scam" after followers who used his discount code were defrauded.
- Sydney dealer 'Reggie': Describes the black market as booming and claims enforcement efforts are futile against the constant flow of product from overseas.
- Kara Joyce (Butterfly Foundation): Warns the products lack any assurance of sterility or ingredient authenticity, and that they prey on vulnerable populations concerned with body image.
- Sonya Weith (Peer Qnect): Reports an exponential rise in calls from users and parents, many of whom do not know the specific risks of the substances they are taking.
What to Watch
- The TGA's response to the coroner's recommendation for tougher restrictions following the death of Richard Norton.
- Potential regulatory or platform action against the network of influencers and social media companies facilitating the trade.
- Whether the surge in hospitalisations and calls to Poisons Information Centres continues to escalate, prompting a formal public health response.