Richard Norton, the 75-year-old Australian actor and martial artist known for "Mad Max: Fury Road" and films opposite Chuck Norris and Jackie Chan, died on March 30, 2025, two days after collapsing at home.

Melbourne coroner David Ryan concluded the death was triggered by his injection of the peptides CJC1295 and ipamorelin, which caused an anaphylactic reaction leading to cardiac arrest. The report identifies asthma and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a heart muscle disease, as contributing factors.

NBC News reports Norton had told his doctor's nurse two days before dying that he had been administering double the prescribed dose.

NBC News reports the death appears to be the first confirmed fatality in Australia linked to unapproved peptides — a milestone finding for a category that has been heavily promoted by online influencers as treatment for faster healing, younger-looking skin, better sleep and even longer life.

According to Yahoo, Norton's wife Judy Green said he injected himself twice a day "for muscle growth and healing."

According to NBC News, Dr. Jerzy Muchnicki authorized replacement and extra dosing on March 28 without consulting a practice nurse's record showing the patient had reported dosing the medication incorrectly, and without speaking directly with Norton to confirm appropriate use or assess misuse.

NBC News reports the doctor has accepted accountability, apologized for errors in judgment, and will no longer prescribe peptides. Yahoo reports Norton told a nurse he doubled his dose after noticing improvement, was advised against it, and was then prescribed two more peptides.

The stakes extend well past Australia.

NBC News reports that on Wednesday the Department of Health and Human Services gave compounding pharmacies the green light to produce six much-touted peptides — BPC-157, epitalon, KPV, MOTS-c, semax and TB-500 — even though FDA scientists concluded there is insufficient data showing they are safe and effective.

USA Today notes the findings land as US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. moves to broaden access to certain unapproved peptides, a divergence regulators and investors in the peptide grey market cannot ignore.

Coroner Ryan recommended that Australia's Therapeutic Goods Administration review the peptides' therapeutic benefits and safety risks, and consider shifting them from schedule 4 prescription-only drugs to schedule 10, limiting use to clinical trials or experimental settings.

"I am not satisfied that it is appropriate for them to be available to be prescribed by medical practitioners," the coroner said, according to The Guardian.