Peptide laws in Australia

How Australia classifies peptides

Australia sorts medicines and poisons through the Poisons Standard, a federal legislative instrument that states and territories adopt into their own laws. Its schedules decide who can supply a substance; Schedule 4 means prescription-only medicine. The current edition is the Therapeutic Goods (Poisons Standard, June 2026) Instrument 2026, registered on May 28, 2026 ¹.

What makes Australia unusual is that the Poisons Standard names many research peptides directly. Most countries treat a peptide like BPC-157 as an unlicensed medicine by default; Australia lists it, by name, in Schedule 4 and in an appendix that makes possession without authority illegal ¹.

The peptides the Poisons Standard names

The June 2026 Poisons Standard includes, in Schedule 4, BPC-157, TB-500, thymosin beta-4, CJC-1295, AOD-9604, ipamorelin, hexarelin, ibutamoren, GHRP-6, pralmorelin (GHRP-2), and the classes growth hormone releasing hormones, growth hormone releasing peptides and growth hormone secretagogues. The same substances, with insulin-like growth factors, appear in Appendix D, clause 5, a table of poisons that must not be possessed by a person without authority, for example other than in accordance with a legal prescription ¹. Approved peptide medicines including semaglutide, tirzepatide, sermorelin, mecasermin and gonadorelin are Schedule 4, as is melanotan II ¹.

Several popular research peptides are not named in the June 2026 instrument, including epitalon, selank, semax, GHK-Cu, MOTS-c and kisspeptin; we found no entry for them when we searched its text ¹. Not being named is not the same as being freely sold: a product supplied as a therapeutic good is still regulated under the Therapeutic Goods Act, and the TGA's import warning covers unapproved peptides generally ².

Importing peptides

The TGA's Personal Importation Scheme lets individuals bring in some unapproved therapeutic goods for their own use under conditions. In a warning on unapproved peptide products, the TGA said it continues to see peptides imported through the scheme, and that importing unapproved peptides under it is permitted only if the goods are clearly and accurately labelled to identify the therapeutic good. It named unmarked vials, code-only labels and missing ingredient or dosing information as red flags, said such vials will not be released under the scheme, and said it will notify the Australian Border Force to seize and destroy products that fail the labelling requirements ².

For substances in Appendix D clause 5, possession without authority is itself unlawful ¹, so a prescription matters for both importing and holding them. Our travel guide covers carrying prescribed peptides across borders.

Why regulators are paying attention

In June 2026, Victoria's Chief Health Officer issued an alert about six cases of acute liver injury since January 2026 in people who had used an unapproved peptide product labelled as Retatrutide, sold under names including Reta, R-10 and R-20, and asked clinicians to ask patients about peptide use ³. Our article on retatrutide testing follows that story.

Getting a peptide legally

For an approved peptide, the route is a prescription from an Australian prescriber and supply through a pharmacy. For a Schedule 4 peptide with no approved product, any supply has to come through the regulated access pathways for unapproved medicines, which involve a prescriber and the TGA, not an online shop. A 'research use only' label does not change a product's scheduling. Our Approved-Alternative Finder lists approved options for common goals.

Sport

Athletes in Australia are bound by the WADA Prohibited List. BPC-157 is prohibited under S0, and the growth hormone secretagogues and releasing peptides above are named in S2.2.4 ⁴. Our WADA hub lists every peptide's status.

Questions to check

• Is the peptide named in Schedule 4 or Appendix D of the current Poisons Standard?
• Do I have a prescription from an Australian prescriber, and is it supplied through a pharmacy?
• If importing, is every vial clearly labelled with the ingredient and strength?
• Am I subject to anti-doping testing?

The bottom line

Australia names BPC-157, TB-500, ipamorelin, CJC-1295, AOD-9604 and other growth hormone peptides in its Poisons Standard as prescription-only medicines that are illegal to possess without authority, and the TGA seizes poorly labelled peptide imports. Approved peptides such as semaglutide are prescription-only. Check the current Poisons Standard before relying on any summary, including this one.

Frequently asked questions

Is BPC-157 legal in Australia?

It is a Schedule 4 medicine in the June 2026 Poisons Standard and is listed in Appendix D clause 5, so possessing it without authority, such as a legal prescription, is illegal.

Can I import peptides into Australia?

The TGA says unapproved peptides may be imported under the Personal Importation Scheme only if clearly and accurately labelled; code-only or unlabelled vials are referred to Border Force for seizure. Appendix D substances also require authority to possess.

Is semaglutide prescription-only in Australia?

Yes. Semaglutide and tirzepatide are Schedule 4 in the June 2026 Poisons Standard.

Which peptides are not named in the Poisons Standard?

We found no entry for epitalon, selank, semax, GHK-Cu, MOTS-c or kisspeptin in the June 2026 text. Products supplied as therapeutic goods are still regulated.

Related on Grey Peptides

• Legal Status Checker
• Are peptides legal?
• Peptide laws in the UK

Sources

1. Commonwealth of Australia. Therapeutic Goods (Poisons Standard, June 2026) Instrument 2026, F2026L00633, registered May 28, 2026: Schedule 4 entries and Appendix D, clause 5. Text read from the Federal Register of Legislation on October 3, 2026. Federal Register of Legislation
2. Therapeutic Goods Administration. TGA warning on the risks of importing unapproved peptide products (safety alert). Read October 3, 2026 (tga.gov.au refused direct requests that day; content read from its published text).
3. Victorian Department of Health. Health alert: Toxicity linked to unapproved peptide product labelled Retatrutide. Issued June 19, 2026; read October 3, 2026.
4. Grey Peptides encyclopedia and WADA hub: 2026 Prohibited List classifications (S0, S2.2.4). Read October 3, 2026.

Educational information, not medical advice. Each dose in this guide names its source, an approved label or a published study. None is a recommendation for you. An unapproved compound has no established safe or effective human dose, and products sold for “research use only” are not made or tested for people. Talk to a doctor before acting on anything on this site, including before you start, stop or change any medicine or dose.