An Australian actor and martial artist who competed in films with Chuck Norris and Jackie Chan suffered a heart attack last year after doubling the dose of peptides prescribed by his doctor, according to a coroner’s report.
The death of Richard Norton, 75, was “triggered by his injection” of peptides, Melbourne-based coroner David Ryan concluded in a report filed in the Victorian Coroners’ Court on Wednesday.
“Richard was taking quantities of medication in excess of the dose prescribed by his doctor. »
Two days before his death, on March 30, 2025, Norton told his doctor’s nurse that “he administered double the prescribed dose of CJC1295 and Ipamorelin,” the report states. “The nurse informed Richard that from the following week he should only give him the prescribed dose.”
Norton’s death appears to be the first confirmed death in the United States linked to unapproved peptides, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported.
Peptides are small proteins that have been promoted by online influencers and others as treatments for everything from faster healing and younger-looking skin to better sleep and even longer life.
As well as being a top-notch movie fighter, Norton has also trained Hollywood stars like Ben Affleck, Tom Hardy, Scarlett Johansson and Margot Robbie, and previously worked as a stuntman and bodyguard for rock legends like David Bowie and Stevie Nicks.
Norton was recovering from shoulder surgery when he went to see Dr. Jerzy Muchnicki on March 11, 2025, complaining of fatigue and pain “and let him know he was interested in peptide therapy.”
He admitted to Muchnicki that another practitioner had previously prescribed peptides to him to treat similar symptoms.
Muchnicki reviewed Norton’s medical history and “discussed in detail what peptide therapy entailed, including the experimental nature of the treatment,” the report states.
“They also discussed the potential risks” and Norton signed a consent form before Muchnicki prescribed the peptides, the report said.
Norton, on March 25, “consulted with Dr. Muchnicki and reported that he was feeling well and that peptide therapy was improving his symptoms,” the report states.
On March 28, however, Norton called Muchnicki’s office and told the nurse that he had “dropped and broken a vial of CJC1295 and Ipamorelin and requested a replacement.”
Norton also told the nurse “he was sleeping better, had less pain and had increased exercise capacity, with no side effects.”
“The nurse spoke on the phone with Dr. Muchnicki who authorized the replacement,” the report states.
That evening, however, Norton’s wife, Judy Green, called Muchnicki’s office and reported that after administering a second dose of peptides, her husband “complained of feeling hot and flushed, then collapsed and became unresponsive.”
Norton was rushed to hospital and two days later he was dead.
In the report, Muchnicki was criticized for authorizing the extra dose of peptides on March 28 “without consulting a nurse practitioner’s record, which documented that the patient reported dosing the medication incorrectly.”
Muchnicki was also criticized for not speaking directly with Norton “to confirm appropriate use or to assess potential abuse or adverse effects.”
The doctor, according to the report, “accepted responsibility for his actions” and apologized “for his errors in judgment” and will no longer prescribe peptides.
NBC News emailed Muchnicki for comment through his office. He hasn’t responded yet.
Ryan, in the report, recommends that the Therapeutic Goods Administration, which is Australia’s equivalent of the US Food and Drug Administration, impose stricter restrictions on the use of unapproved peptides.
In the United States, certain peptides are used in some FDA-approved medications to treat diabetes, obesity, and other health conditions.
But there is also a “gray market” that has also been flooded with products containing unapproved peptides that are promoted by online influencers and others.
On Wednesday, the Department of Health and Human Services gave compounding pharmacies, which supply drugs that are not commercially available, permission to begin producing six of these vaunted peptides.
They got the green light even though the FDA’s own scientists concluded that there was insufficient data demonstrating that these particular peptides – BPC-157, epitalon, KPV, MOTS-c, semax and TB-500 – were safe and effective.
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