Victoria Reported 13 Anaphylaxis Cases Associated With Unapproved Peptides, and a Coroner Linked a Death to CJC-1295 and Ipamorelin
The short version
- On 27 October 2026 Victoria's Chief Health Officer issued a health advisory: 13 cases of anaphylaxis associated with unapproved peptides have been notified in Victoria since July 2025, including a cluster of five in the second half of September 2026. Two cases were reported in October to date. Before July 2025 there was a single case on record since 2018.
- The advisory names no product or seller. It says the contents of unapproved peptide products are unknown, and that people are strongly advised not to buy or use them.
- On 28 October 2026 a coroner found, according to ABC News (Australia), that a 75-year-old man's death in March 2025 was a result of complications from his use of the unapproved peptides CJC-1295 and ipamorelin. ABC reports the coroner found it was "triggered by" his injection. The coroner found he had been taking amounts "in excess of the dose prescribed by his medical practitioner".
- The coroner recommended that the TGA review such peptides and "consider whether further restrictions ought to be imposed on their use". The TGA says it is "considering whether further regulatory or other measures may be appropriate". The TGA media releases page, read on 31 October, shows no new peptide release.
- A TGA and Chief Medical Officer statement of 19 June 2026 said reports and hospitalisation data had identified serious adverse effects associated with unapproved peptides, including liver damage and severe allergic reactions requiring hospitalisation.
- CJC-1295 and ipamorelin are not among the six peptides in the US HHS policy published on 30 October. Nothing here changes a US rule.
On 27 October 2026 Victoria's Chief Health Officer issued a health advisory about anaphylaxis cases associated with unapproved peptides. The next day a coroner delivered findings that, according to ABC News, linked a March 2025 death to injected CJC-1295 and ipamorelin, and recommended that the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), Australia's medicines regulator, review such peptides. Here is what each source says, and what neither says, as of 31 October 2026.
What Victoria's health advisory says
| Question | Answer in the advisory |
|---|---|
| Who issued it, and when? | Victoria's Chief Health Officer, as advisory 261027 dated 27 October 2026, addressed to health professionals and the Victorian community |
| How many cases? | 13 cases of anaphylaxis associated with unapproved peptides, notified in Victoria since July 2025, including "a cluster of five cases in the second half of September 2026". The advisory adds that two cases have been reported in October to date |
| What came before? | Before July 2025, a single case related to unapproved peptides had been recorded since anaphylaxis notifications began in 2018 |
| Were these first reactions? | The advisory says it believes 12 of the cases were a first episode of anaphylaxis. The remaining case was a second episode after a previous reaction to the same unapproved peptide product |
| Which products? | The advisory names no product, peptide or seller. It says the contents of unapproved peptide products, "including the substance, concentration and whether contaminants or toxins are present, are unknown" |
| What does it advise? | "People are strongly advised not to purchase or use unapproved peptide products." It says anaphylaxis can occur after the first dose or after multiple doses that were otherwise uneventful, and that anyone with signs of it should call Triple Zero (000), Australia's emergency number |
Source: Victoria Department of Health, health advisory 261027, updated 27 October 2026, read on 31 October 2026. "Associated with" is the advisory's wording. It does not attribute any case to a named product.
What the coroner found
| Question | Answer, as reported by ABC News |
|---|---|
| Who delivered the finding, and when? | A coroner, on Wednesday 28 October 2026 |
| Who died, and when? | A 75-year-old man, at Melbourne's Alfred Hospital on 30 March 2025 |
| What did the coroner find? | The death was a result of complications that arose from his use of the unapproved peptide products CJC-1295 and ipamorelin. He collapsed and suffered a cardiac arrest after injecting them. ABC reports the coroner found the death was "triggered by" the injection |
| Where did the products come from? | A doctor prescribed them and a licensed compounding pharmacy in Queensland compounded them in injectable form |
| What did the coroner say about dose? | He "had been taking amounts of the medication in excess of the dose prescribed by his medical practitioner". ABC reports he told a nurse at the doctor's clinic that he had been administering double the prescribed dose, and that hours after that conversation he became unresponsive after an injection |
Source: ABC News (Australia), story dated 29 October 2026 Melbourne time, read on 31 October 2026. ABC says the findings were delivered "on Wednesday"; we read that as 28 October. We could not find the coroner's written finding online, so every detail of it here is as ABC reports it. ABC calls the death "believed to be the first confirmed fatality in Australia from unapproved peptide use". The two sources are separate: the advisory does not mention the death, and ABC's account of the death says cardiac arrest, not anaphylaxis.
What the coroner recommended
The coroner recommended that the TGA review the therapeutic benefits and safety risks of peptides such as CJC-1295 and ipamorelin and "consider whether further restrictions ought to be imposed on their use", ABC reports. That is a recommendation to the regulator. It is not itself a restriction.
What the TGA has said
In a statement after the finding, the TGA said it "continues to warn consumers about the risks of unapproved peptides which have not been assessed by the TGA for safety, quality or effectiveness", and that it had communicated those risks to health practitioners. It added: "We are continuing to assess the risks associated with these products and considering whether further regulatory or other measures may be appropriate." ABC also reports that the coroner's report noted the TGA's statement that various pathways exist that enable medical practitioners to access unapproved peptides.
The TGA's earlier joint statement with Australia's Chief Medical Officer, published on 19 June 2026, said reports to the TGA and hospitalisation data from states and territories had identified serious adverse effects associated with unapproved peptides, including liver damage and severe allergic reactions requiring hospitalisation. It said unapproved products are not on the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods and have not been evaluated by the TGA for safety, quality or effectiveness. It named BPC-157, GHK-Cu, TB-500, retatrutide and CJC-1295 among the ingredients such products can contain, and its acting chief medical adviser said unapproved peptide products had been added as a "priority focus area" for TGA compliance work.
The expert view in the file
ABC reports that the Medical Board of Australia's investigation of the prescribing doctor included a report from a clinical professor, who stated: "There is insufficient evidence that CJC1295/Ipamorelin is safe, effective or beneficial for human use." That is one expert's statement quoted in the coroner's report, as ABC describes it. It is not a TGA assessment.
What is not known
- What caused any of the Victorian anaphylaxis cases, or which products were involved. The advisory names none.
- What the TGA will decide. Its statement says it is considering whether measures may be appropriate. The TGA media releases page, read on 31 October, shows no new peptide release.
- Whether other deaths are linked. ABC's wording is that this is "believed" to be the first confirmed fatality of its kind in Australia.
- Anything about the content or quality of the products involved in the death. ABC's account does not say they were tested.
How this relates to the United States
It changes no US rule. These are Australian sources about Australian regulation. On 30 October 2026 HHS published its enforcement discretion policy for compounding six peptides: BPC-157, epitalon, KPV, MOTS-c, semax and TB-500. CJC-1295 and ipamorelin are not on that list. The TGA's June statement names BPC-157 and TB-500, two of the six, among the ingredients of the unapproved products it is concerned about. Our page on the US policy text is HHS published the peptide policy.
What would not change
- The legal status of any peptide in Australia, until the TGA announces a decision.
- The status of research-use-only peptides in the US, covered in are peptides legal in the US.
What to watch
- A TGA announcement on whether it will restrict CJC-1295, ipamorelin or similar peptides.
- Publication of the coroner's written finding, which would let us check ABC's account line by line.
- Any update to the Victorian advisory, which is marked active.
We will update this piece the day any of these appears.
Questions readers ask
What did Victoria's health advisory report about unapproved peptides?
Advisory 261027, issued on 27 October 2026 by Victoria's Chief Health Officer, reports 13 cases of anaphylaxis associated with unapproved peptides notified in Victoria since July 2025, including a cluster of five in the second half of September 2026, and says two cases have been reported in October to date. Before July 2025 a single such case had been recorded since notifications began in 2018. The advisory names no product or seller and advises people not to buy or use unapproved peptide products.
What did the Australian coroner find about CJC-1295 and ipamorelin?
According to ABC News, a coroner found on 28 October 2026 that a 75-year-old man's death on 30 March 2025 was a result of complications from his use of CJC-1295 and ipamorelin, and that he collapsed and suffered a cardiac arrest after injecting them. The products had been prescribed by a doctor and compounded by a licensed pharmacy in Queensland. We could not find the written finding, so this rests on ABC's report.
Did the coroner ban these peptides?
No. The coroner recommended that the TGA review the therapeutic benefits and safety risks and consider whether further restrictions ought to be imposed. That is a recommendation, not a restriction. The TGA says it is assessing the risks and considering whether further measures may be appropriate, and the TGA media releases page, read on 31 October 2026, shows no new peptide release.
Does this change anything in the United States?
No. These are Australian sources about Australian regulation. HHS's US enforcement discretion policy, published on 30 October 2026, covers six other peptides: BPC-157, epitalon, KPV, MOTS-c, semax and TB-500. CJC-1295 and ipamorelin are not on its list.
Sources
- Victoria Department of Health: health advisory 261027 on anaphylaxis notifications associated with unapproved peptides, issued and updated 27 October 2026; read 31 October 2026
- ABC News (Australia): report on the coroner's finding and recommendation to the TGA, dated 29 October 2026 (Melbourne time); read 31 October 2026
- TGA and Australia's Chief Medical Officer: Concerns regarding the public health risks associated with unapproved peptide products (joint statement), published 19 June 2026; read 31 October 2026
- HHS: Enforcement Discretion Policy Regarding 503A Compounding Using Certain Peptide Bulk Drug Substances, with Appendices A and B (PDF), read 31 October 2026
- Federal Register: Enforcement Discretion Policy Regarding 503A Compounding Using Certain Peptide Bulk Drug Substances (91 FR 68526), published 30 October 2026; read 31 October 2026