Source : PERTHNOW NEWS
Australian actor and stuntman Richard Norton died after injecting double the amount of a prescribed peptide, with a coroner recommending tougher restrictions on the substances.
Norton, 75, died after suffering cardiac arrest at his Melbourne home in March 2025.
Norton had a lengthy career as an actor, stuntman and co-ordinator and worked alongside martial arts legend Chuck Norris on Walker, Texas Ranger and on films including Max Mad: Fury Road.
He also worked as a bodyguard for the likes of The Rolling Stones, David Bowie, ABBA, and Fleetwood Mac.
Victorian coroner David Ryan found that Norton’s death was triggered by his injection of two peptides – CJC1295 and Ipamorelin.
The court was told Norton had been prescribed the peptides by his doctor two weeks earlier; however, he had been “taking amounts of the medication in excess of the dose prescribed by his medical practitioner”.
The injection, which Norton had been using for muscle growth and “healing”, caused an anaphylactic reaction, which led to him going into cardiac arrest, the coroner’s report stated.
On March 11 last year, Norton went to his doctor and asked about peptide therapy, having previously used it to treat fatigue, shoulder pain and a loss of lean muscle.
He was told the therapy was still experimental and was alerted to the risks.
The doctor only prescribed the peptides to Norton after he underwent blood tests and a CT scan.
He later reported to his doctor that his symptoms were improving and he was feeling good.
Three days later, on March 28, he disclosed to a nurse that he had been injecting double the prescribed dose and was told to cut back to the prescribed dose.
Later that evening, after injecting a second dose, Norton complained of feeling hot and flushed before collapsing.
His wife Judy performed CPR and he was rushed to Melbourne’s The Alfred hospital, where he died two days later.
The court was told CJC1295 and Ipamorelin were deemed experimental and not therapeutically approved for use in Australia.
Mr Ryan found Norton died as a result of injecting more than the dose prescribed to him, and he recommended the Therapeutic Goods Administration review whether further restrictions ought to be imposed on peptides such as CJC1295 and Ipamorelin.
He also recommended they be listed as poisons under the Poisons Standard.
“Given the likely risks associated with peptides such as CJC1295/Ipamorelin, including anaphylaxis, and the lack of evidence as to their therapeutic benefits, I am not satisfied that it is appropriate for them to be available to be prescribed by medical practitioners,” Mr Ryan said.
“It is not clear to me how their safe use can be clinically indicated given the acknowledged uncertainties as to their therapeutic benefit and their risks (as yet not fully known) to the safety of patients.”
