The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) is Australia's regulator of medicines, medical devices and biologicals. The TGA assesses therapeutic goods for quality, safety and effectiveness before they can be supplied in Australia and monitors compliance with Australian law.
The TGA is aware of a growing number of peptides being promoted and sold on social media and other online platforms, often with claims about weight loss, muscle building, anti‑ageing, injury repair or general wellbeing. These claims are frequently made by influencers or unqualified individuals and are not supported by appropriate scientific evidence.
Advice from social media, online forums or influencers should not be treated as reliable information when making decisions about your health. Information shared online about peptides may be inaccurate or misleading, incomplete or exaggerated, or promote products that are unlawful, unapproved or unsafe. The TGA strongly discourages consumers from purchasing or using peptides based on social media recommendations.
Peptides approved by the TGA
The TGA has approved a number of peptide‑based medicines for specific medical indications following assessment of their quality, safety and efficacy. These medicines are included in the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods (ARTG). The ARTG does not group substances under a general category of "peptides"; each medicine is assessed individually and approved only for specific, evidence‑supported uses.
Examples of approved peptide medicines include insulin and insulin analogues; GLP‑1 receptor agonists (such as semaglutide, liraglutide and dulaglutide); tirzepatide; glucagon; oxytocin; vasopressin and its analogues; and somatostatin analogues such as octreotide.
Many peptides discussed in the media and on social media are not included in the ARTG. These peptides have not been evaluated by the TGA for safety, quality or effectiveness.
Some peptide‑containing products may be included in the ARTG as listed medicines, where they contain permitted peptide ingredients (for example, hydrolysed collagen). Any ingredient used in a listed medicine must be included in the Permissible Ingredients Determination.
Unapproved peptides and scheduling
BPC‑157 has not been approved by the TGA for human therapeutic use and is not included in the ARTG. It is classified as a prescription‑only medicine (Schedule 4) and is also listed in Appendix D of the Poisons Standard, meaning possession without authority is illegal. These scheduling controls mean BPC‑157 can only be accessed as an unapproved therapeutic good under specific regulatory pathways.
GHK‑Cu is not specifically scheduled in the Poisons Standard. However, this does not mean that products containing GHK‑Cu are approved or safe for human use. Any therapeutic product must be included in the ARTG, or otherwise lawfully supplied, before it can be marketed for human use.
Certain registered health practitioners may access unapproved therapeutic goods for patients under defined pathways where clinically appropriate and when approved treatment options have been considered.
Online supply, advertising and "research‑grade" products
The TGA does not comment on individual compliance or enforcement matters. However, the TGA takes strong compliance action against the unlawful import, manufacture, supply and advertising of therapeutic goods under the Therapeutic Goods Act 1989.
Generally, therapeutic goods supplied in Australia must be included in the ARTG, unless an appropriate exemption, approval or authority applies. It is unlawful to advertise prescription‑only medicines to the public, and it is generally unlawful to advertise therapeutic goods that are not included in the ARTG.
Products described as "research‑grade" or "for research use only" are not approved for human use. If such products are supplied or promoted for use in people, they may be supplied unlawfully.
If a peptide is manufactured in a facility licensed by the TGA, this means the site complies with Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) requirements. It does not mean that individual unapproved products made at that site have been assessed by the TGA or are safe or effective for human use.
Role of health professionals and reporting concerns
The TGA does not regulate clinical practice. Healthcare practitioners must comply with professional standards set by the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) and their relevant National Board. Medical practitioners must follow the Medical Board of Australia's Good medical practice: A code of conduct for doctors in Australia.
Decisions about using prescription medicines should be made jointly by a medical practitioner and patient, with informed consent, including discussion of risks and potential side effects.
Concerns about individual practitioners should be reported to AHPRA. Concerns about health services should be directed to the relevant state or territory health complaints body. Suspected unlawful supply or advertising of therapeutic goods can be reported to the TGA using the report illegal or questionable practices form in the TGA website.
If you experience a side effect or safety concern related to a peptide or other therapeutic good, report it to the TGA.
