{"id":807324,"date":"2026-08-08T23:26:29","date_gmt":"2026-08-08T23:26:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/807324\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T23:26:29","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T23:26:29","slug":"he-told-me-that-they-were-safe-australians-warned-to-think-twice-before-buying-unregulated-peptides-as-online-market-booms","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/807324\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018He told me that they were safe\u2019: Australians warned to think twice before buying unregulated peptides as online market booms"},"content":{"rendered":"

Australians are being warned to think twice before buying unregulated peptides<\/a> online, with experts cautioning the products can be dangerous and, in some cases, deadly.<\/p>\n

The warning comes as the Therapeutic Goods Administration steps up action against the booming online trade, putting those who illegally advertise, import or supply unapproved peptide products on notice. <\/p>\n

For Isabella Boutin, the message is deeply personal. Her brother Alex died at 33 after suffering a heart attack following years of using body enhancement drugs, including peptides. <\/p>\n

Know the news with the 7NEWS app: Download today Arrow<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s no real words to describe the loss that we\u2019ve had in our family,\u201d Boutin said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve seen my parents absolutely devastated by losing their son and me as a sibling, it\u2019s almost like you\u2019ve been amputated.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s really something that is just really hard to explain there\u2019s just no words for such a pain.\u201d <\/p>\n

\"AlexAlex used body enhancement drugs, including peptides, for years. Credit: 7NEWS\"HeHe died at 33. Credit: 7NEWS\"HisHis sister Isabella Boutin, 37, left a successful bridal business in Paris to return to Australia and raise awareness about peptide use. Credit: 7NEWS<\/p>\n

She said she only discovered Alex was using peptides a few years before he died. <\/p>\n

\u201cHe told me that they were safe and that it had been a friend that had told him about it and that it was going to be really good for him and I had no idea that they were going to be dangerous at all,\u201d she told 7NEWS. <\/p>\n

A recent 7NEWS Spotlight investigation revealed just how easily unregulated peptides can be purchased through social media, with some products arriving at buyers\u2019 homes within hours.<\/p>\n

The University of Queensland researcher Dr Timothy Piatkowski said young Australians are being heavily targeted online. <\/p>\n

\u201cIf you go onto Instagram or TikTok, there are targeted ads presented very, very readily,\u201d Piatkowski said.<\/p>\n

\"\u00a0Dr\u00a0Dr Timothy Piatkowski said young Aussies are being targeted. Credit: 7NEWS\"HeHe raised concerns about what is inside the drugs. Credit: 7NEWS<\/p>\n

\u201cClick those ads and move into a WhatsApp chat where you can very, very quickly and easily purchase these products and have them shipped to your house within 48 hours or less sometimes.\u201d<\/p>\n

His research also found major concerns about what is actually inside the products being sold. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe testing that we\u2019ve done via my research program at the University of Queensland showed that not only were the products underdosed but they were also overdosed,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cSome of them had nothing in them. Some of them had 190 per cent of the actual dose.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cWhat this means for the end consumer is that you really don\u2019t know what you\u2019re getting.\u201d <\/p>\n

\"AlexAlex told his family the peptides were safe. Credit: 7NEWS\"IsabellaIsabella wants to raise awareness. Credit: 7NEWS\"IsabellaIsabella says she doesn\u2019t want anyone else going through this pain. Credit: 7NEWS<\/p>\n

Peptides are short chains of amino acids that help the body grow and repair. While some are approved medicines prescribed by doctors for legitimate medical conditions, unapproved products are increasingly being promoted online as a shortcut to build muscle, lose fat and recover faster. <\/p>\n

Despite the TGA\u2019s crackdown, Piatkowski believes enforcement alone will not solve the problem. <\/p>\n

\u201cThis definitely isn\u2019t a problem that we can regulate our way out of,\u201d Piatkowski said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe need to ensure that people who are using these products and they are using them, we know that there\u2019s people out in community doing so, have safer injecting guidance.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cAnd that they\u2019re given other information that\u2019s evidence based around what\u2019s really in these products.\u201d <\/p>\n

Boutin hopes sharing Alex\u2019s story will stop others from making the same mistake.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t want anyone else to go through this pain,\u201d Boutin said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are a lot of young men dying from PEDS use and unfortunately no one\u2019s really talking about it.\u201d<\/p>\n

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