She said unapproved peptides<\/a> have not undergone safety checks before being imported into New Zealand.<\/p>\n \u201cWe don\u2019t even know if they are actually produced in a sterile way. They could easily cause a significant infection when they\u2019re injected.\u201d<\/p>\n Skinner said users<\/a> also have no guarantee they\u2019re getting the medicine they think they\u2019re buying.<\/p>\n \u201cWe also can\u2019t be certain that the active ingredient is even present… people could be injecting something that is not what it says it is, could have other undisclosed ingredients or allergens that could cause a serious reaction as well.\u201d<\/p>\n She said many products also have the wrong strength or unclear dosing instructions, creating \u201ca significant risk with dosing<\/a>\u201d.<\/p>\n University of Auckland pharmacy lecturer Dr Rhys Ponton agreed and said people often have little understanding of what they are, how they work, or what harm they may cause.<\/p>\n \u201cPeptides are commonly sold and obtained as \u2018freeze-dried\u2019 powder which requires reconstitution before injection,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Ponton said this can risk people making the product stronger or weaker than intended, and the dose injected being higher or lower than expected.<\/p>\n He said unapproved products pose significant risks because they haven\u2019t been properly evaluated, meaning their effects and potential harms aren\u2019t fully understood.<\/p>\n Medsafe said international reports have linked some unapproved peptide products<\/a> to contamination and fatal overdoses. <\/p>\n It has issued a specific warning about retatrutide, saying any product sold directly to consumers is sourced from the black market and is unapproved.<\/p>\nPeptide products seized by Medsafe.<\/p>\n