Seventh Victorian Peptide Liver Injury Raises Batch Fears
Seventh Victorian case of acute liver injury in a black-market peptide user prompts fears of a contaminated counterfeit batch and a fresh TGA warning over unapproved retatrutide.
A seventh Victorian patient has been hospitalised with acute liver injury after using a black-market peptide labelled as retatrutide, prompting doctors and the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) to investigate whether a contaminated batch of counterfeit product is circulating in the state.
The case was reported by ABC News on 24 August. Dr Marie Sinclair, a liver transplant specialist who has treated peptide-related liver failure patients in Victoria, said the patient became seriously unwell after a second dose of unapproved product labelled as retatrutide.
“We have seen a recent case again, fairly similar to previous cases, where after a second dose of unregulated retatrutide there was severe liver injury,” Dr Sinclair told the ABC.
A possible contaminated batch
Dr Sinclair described a contaminated or counterfeit batch in Victoria as one possible explanation for the cluster, while noting there were no testing results to support it yet. She said she had commissioned testing of counterfeit peptides used by liver failure patients.
The TGA’s chief medical advisor, Professor Robyn Langham, told the ABC the “localised nature” of the liver issues in Victoria suggested a batch problem.
“We are seeing reports of acute liver failure which might be related to some batch issues certainly from Victoria,” Professor Langham said. She noted her comments were not the result of an investigation.
Warnings from health authorities
Victoria’s Chief Health Officer, Professor Caroline McElnay, said unapproved peptide products, and particularly those that were injected, carried “significant safety risks” including contamination, infection or local tissue damage.
“People are strongly advised not to use any unapproved peptide products, including products labelled as retatrutide,” she said.
The ABC said it contacted health departments across all states and territories about unapproved peptide-related liver toxicity cases. Canberra Health Services confirmed it had detected liver damage from products sold as retatrutide, but would not specify how many due to the low numbers involved.
One patient, Megan Hancocks, told the ABC she bought a product labelled as retatrutide in cash from a beautician and was in acute liver failure within a week of her second dose.
Regulatory context
Retatrutide is an investigational compound. US-based Eli Lilly is the sole owner of the patent and is running clinical trials. Manny Simons, general manager of Lilly Australia, said any retatrutide available online is “unapproved, unverified and simply not worth the risk”.
Professor Langham said there were no “good batches” or safe unapproved peptides, and that the risk of serious harm applied to all such products. She said the TGA was particularly concerned about young people using unapproved peptides promoted on social media.
The TGA said more than 94,500 unapproved peptide products had been destroyed this year in collaboration with the Australian Border Force. The regulator separately reported last week that it and NSW Police had seized more than $120,000 of illicit peptide and anabolic steroid products from premises allegedly linked to a social media influencer, and that authorities seized around $2 million of steroids and peptides in April.
What it means
The seventh case extends a pattern public health authorities have tracked since mid-2026. Unapproved peptides sold online and through informal channels are imported without assessment for safety, quality or effectiveness, and are not tested for consistency between batches.
For buyers, the regulator’s position is that unapproved peptides carry risk regardless of source or label. Importing or supplying them can lead to border seizure, infringement notices, or criminal and civil penalties under the Therapeutic Goods Act 1989.
What to watch
The testing commissioned by Dr Sinclair, and any TGA investigation that follows the ABC report, may determine whether a single contaminated batch is behind the Victorian cluster. Any further hospitalisations reported by state health authorities would extend the pattern. TGA enforcement against online sellers and influencers has continued through 2026.
Sources
- ABC News: Doctors fear possible contaminated counterfeit peptide batch after seventh case of acute liver damage (24 August 2026)
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