Victorian coroner David Ryan has found that the death of actor, stuntman and martial artist Richard Norton was triggered by an injection of the unapproved peptides CJC1295 and ipamorelin, and has recommended that the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) consider tighter restrictions on such peptides, according to his finding, dated 28 October 2026.
The finding into death without inquest was handed down on Wednesday 28 October, ABC News and the Guardian reported.
Norton was born on 6 January 1950 and lived in South Melbourne. He died aged 75 at the Alfred Hospital on 30 March 2025, the finding states. He worked with Chuck Norris and was a bodyguard for David Bowie, according to the Guardian.
His death is believed to be the first confirmed fatality in Australia from unapproved peptide use, the ABC reported.
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What the Coroner Found
The coroner found that the injection caused an anaphylactic reaction, which led to cardiac arrest, and that Norton had been taking more than the prescribed dose.
The finding records the medical cause of death as 1(a) complications of an out of hospital cardiac arrest; 1(b) anaphylaxis; 2 asthma, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.
According to the ABC, Ryan found that Norton “had been taking amounts of the medication in excess of the dose prescribed by his medical practitioner”.
How Events Unfolded
Norton was prescribed CJC1295 and ipamorelin injections on 19 March 2025, the Guardian reported. The medication was compounded by a licensed pharmacy in Queensland, according to the ABC, and both outlets reported that he signed an informed consent form.
He told a nurse he had been taking double the prescribed dose, the ABC reported. The ABC quoted the finding on what the nurse told him.
“The nurse advised Richard that from the following week he ought to only administer the prescribed dose.”
Hours later, after another injection, he became unresponsive, according to the ABC.
The Regulators
Peptides such as these are Schedule 4, or prescription-only, medicines, and they have not been evaluated by the TGA for quality, safety and efficacy, the finding states.
Ryan set out his view on whether they should be prescribed, as reported by the Guardian.
“I am not satisfied that it is appropriate for them to be available to be prescribed by medical practitioners,” the coroner said.
He recommended that the TGA review the therapeutic benefits and safety risks of peptides such as CJC1295/ipamorelin and consider further restrictions, such as Schedule 10, which could ban human use with exceptions such as clinical trials.
The TGA issued a statement after the finding, the ABC reported. “We are continuing to assess the risks associated with these products and considering whether further regulatory or other measures may be appropriate,” it said.
The Medical Board of Australia had already considered the prescribing doctor’s practice. In a decision of July 2026, it found that his practice “is or may be unsatisfactory” but that regulatory action was not warranted, and he received a caution and conditions, the ABC reported.
Clinical Professor Alistair Vickery, speaking for the Medical Board, said: “There is insufficient evidence that CJC1295/Ipamorelin is safe, effective or beneficial for human use.”
What Happens to the Recommendation
A statutory authority that receives a coroner’s recommendation must respond in writing within three months, according to the Coroners Court of Victoria.
That gives the TGA three months from receipt to set out its response to Ryan’s recommendation. Until then, a Schedule 10 listing for these peptides remains a recommendation, not a decision.
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Sources: Coroners Court of Victoria, “Finding into death without inquest: Richard John Norton, COR 2025 001710”, 28 October 2026 (https://www.coronerscourt.vic.gov.au/sites/default/files/COR%202025%20001710%20Form%2038%20-%20Finding%20into%20Death%20without%20Inquest_Signed.pdf); ABC News, “Coroner recommends TGA review peptide restrictions after Australian actor’s death”, 29 October 2026 (https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-10-29/victoria-peptide-death-coroners-report-richard-norton/107320590); The Guardian, “Coroner calls for TGA to review unapproved peptides after death of Australian actor”, 29 October 2026 (https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2026/oct/29/peptide-actor-richard-norton-death-coroner-tga-review-ntwnfb)
Photo: National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
For illustration only: rows of glass sample tubes in a medicinal chemistry laboratory. The picture has no connection to the products or people named in the coroner’s finding.
