Peptide products
Find out how peptide products are regulated in Australia, the risks of buying unapproved products online and the rules for importing, supplying, manufacturing or advertising them.
Peptide products are increasingly promoted online and through social media for weight loss, muscle growth, anti-ageing, recovery and performance enhancement.
While some peptide products are approved for use in Australia, many products promoted online are unapproved therapeutic goods and may be unlawful to import, supply or advertise.
Using unapproved peptide products can pose serious health risks. As these products have not been assessed by us for safety, quality or effectiveness, there is no assurance they are safe, effective, correctly labelled, sterile or made to appropriate quality standards.
People and businesses that import, supply, manufacture, export, advertise, prescribe or compound peptide products must understand and comply with their legal obligations. Significant penalties may apply for unlawful dealings with unapproved peptide products.
Peptides explained
Peptides are short chains of amino acids, which are the building blocks of proteins. Many peptides exist naturally in the body and are involved in the signalling processes of growth, metabolism and tissue repair.
Synthetic peptide-based medicines (peptide products being purchased online) can mimic or stimulate these natural biological processes.
Not all products containing peptides are regulated by us. How a peptide product is regulated depends on what it contains, how it is promoted and what it is intended to do. For more information, see What are 'therapeutic goods'?
A peptide product is regulated as a therapeutic good if, for example, it is promoted, supplied or generally used for a therapeutic purpose such as to:
- prevent, diagnose, cure or alleviate a disease, ailment, defect or injury, or
- influence, inhibit or modify a physiological process in the body.
Examples of peptide products that may be regulated as therapeutic goods include:
- peptide-based medicines used to manage conditions such as diabetes, obesity and cardiovascular disease
- peptide products promoted for weight loss, muscle growth, recovery, performance enhancement or other health-related outcomes.
Some peptide products may be regulated as cosmetics rather than a therapeutic good if their ingredients, claims, presentation and intended use are limited to cosmetic purposes. For information, see Cosmetics.
Reporting adverse events and questionable practices
Everyone can play an important role in monitoring therapeutic goods in Australia by reporting suspected adverse events and questionable practices associated with peptide products.
These reports are a critical source of compliance and safety intelligence. They help us identify what products are being used, how people are accessing them, what harms are occurring, and whether particular products, suppliers or online channels warrant regulatory attention.
Information that assists us
Reports of suspicious or illegal activity are most useful when they include, where known, product names, ingredients, and any information about how the product was obtained, such as website links, social media accounts, supplier details, packaging images and contact details.
Information on how to report and search for medicine adverse events is available at report an adverse event or safety problem.
If you suspect unlawful advertising, importation, manufacture or supply of peptide products, you can report a perceived breach or questionable practice to us.