The Victorian coroner has ruled that Australian actor Richard Norton died after injecting double the amount of a prescribed peptide. According to Victorian coroner David Ryan, Norton's death was caused after he administered injections of two peptides - CJC1295 and Ipamorelin.
Norton, 75, died after suffering cardiac arrest at his Melbourne home on March 30, 2025. Now, after 19 months, the former martial artist's death has been determined to be a cardiac arrest triggered by peptide usage.
The 75-year-old actor who starred in dozens of movies opposite the likes of Jackie Chan and Chuck Norris died just days later at his home in Melbourne after a physician prescribed him an anti-ageing drug therapy that was in the testing phase.
"Richard had been taking amounts of the medication in excess of the dose prescribed by his medical practitioner," according to the coroner's report. "The injection caused an anaphylactic reaction, which in turn led to cardiac arrest," the Victorian coroner concluded.
According to multiple reports, Norton visited his doctor on March 11 last year and asked about peptide therapy, after previously using it to treat fatigue, shoulder pain and a loss of lean muscle. The court was also told that CJC1295 and Ipamorelin were still in testing and not therapeutically approved for use in Australia, but his doctor prescribed them after he underwent blood tests and a CT scan.
The coroner's findings have sparked a wider debate in Australia regarding the regulation of experimental therapies. Medical experts have warned that patients often underestimate the risks associated with substances that have not received full regulatory approval.
Norton's family has expressed their grief, noting that the actor was seeking to maintain his physical health for his craft. The legal proceedings highlight the dangers of self-administering potent substances without strict clinical oversight.
The case serves as a grim reminder of the potential consequences of using drugs that are still in the experimental phase. Authorities are now reviewing the conduct of the medical practitioner involved in the prescription.
As the investigation concludes, the focus shifts to ensuring that such experimental treatments are strictly monitored to prevent further tragedies in the future.