Peptide laws in New Zealand
Last updated: October 3, 2026 · 4 min read · By the Grey Peptides Editorial Board
- New Zealand classified BPC-157 as a prescription medicine in 2023, after Medsafe saw people importing it for personal use.
- Classification matters at the border: Medsafe has said it could not seize peptides that were not prescription medicines, and has asked for whole peptide groups to be classified.
- In 2026 Medsafe warned about unapproved peptides sold online, including retatrutide, and said 'research purposes only' labels can be misleading.
- Statuses were read from Medsafe documents on October 3, 2026.
How New Zealand classifies medicines
New Zealand regulates medicines under the Medicines Act 1981, administered by Medsafe. Substances are classified, for example as prescription medicines, on the recommendation of the Medicines Classification Committee, with the final decision made by the Minister of Health 1. Classification matters at the border: according to RNZ's reporting of Medsafe's submission, Medsafe could not seize peptides at the border if they were not classed as prescription medicines, and instead released them to buyers with a 'high-risk medicine' letter 1.
BPC-157: a prescription medicine since 2023
At its 70th meeting, the Medicines Classification Committee considered Medsafe's proposal to classify BPC-157 as a prescription medicine. The agenda noted that BPC-157's safety and efficacy in humans remain to be elucidated, that there were no approved products or pending applications in New Zealand, that unproven claims for it were being made online, and that Medsafe had encountered personal importation and enquiries about its legality 2. A later Medsafe submission records that BPC-157 was classified as a prescription medicine at the 70th meeting, held on May 25, 2023, and that derivatives such as NL-BPC-157 had since been intercepted that the original classification did not capture 3.
Classifying peptides in groups
Because new peptides keep appearing, Medsafe asked the committee to classify whole groups as prescription medicines, so future substances in a group would be covered. Its submission recommended group entries for BPC-157 and its analogues, antimicrobial peptides and their precursors, and myostatin modulator peptides, among others, and noted selank had been imported with health claims; it said that once classified as prescription medicines, importing these products without a prescription would not be permitted 3. RNZ reported that Medsafe intercepted 56 parcels containing peptides or SARMs at the border in the year to May 1. We have not confirmed the committee's final decision on the group proposal, so we describe it as Medsafe's recommendation.
Medsafe's 2026 warning on unapproved peptides
In 2026, Medsafe warned the public about sales of unapproved peptide products through websites, social media and online marketplaces. Examples it gave included BPC-157, CJC-1295, GHRP-6, GHK-Cu, ipamorelin and melanotan II. It said retatrutide, an experimental medicine not approved in New Zealand, was being sold from unregulated sources with reports of serious risks including contamination, severe nervous-system symptoms and overdose, and that 'for research purposes only' labels can be misleading when products are promoted for personal use or injection 4.
Getting a peptide legally
Approved peptide medicines such as semaglutide are prescription medicines in New Zealand. Any access to an unapproved peptide runs through a prescriber, not an online shop. Importing a prescription medicine without a prescription is the conduct Medsafe's classifications are designed to stop 3.
Sport
New Zealand athletes follow the WADA Prohibited List through Drug Free Sport NZ. BPC-157 is prohibited under S0, and growth hormone secretagogues and releasing peptides are named under S2.2.4 5. Our WADA hub lists each peptide.
Questions to check
- Is the peptide classified as a prescription medicine in New Zealand?
- Do I have a New Zealand prescription for it?
- Is it labelled 'research use only' but promoted for injection?
- Am I subject to anti-doping testing?
The bottom line
New Zealand made BPC-157 a prescription medicine in 2023, which gives Medsafe power to stop it at the border, and has asked for whole peptide groups to be treated the same way. In 2026 it warned against unapproved peptides sold online, including retatrutide. Approved peptides are prescription medicines; research labels do not change that.
Frequently asked questions
Is BPC-157 legal in New Zealand?
It was classified as a prescription medicine at the Medicines Classification Committee's meeting on May 25, 2023, so importing it without a prescription is not permitted.
Can I import peptides into New Zealand?
Importing prescription medicines without a prescription is not permitted. Medsafe has recommended classifying groups of peptides as prescription medicines so more are covered.
What did Medsafe say about retatrutide?
Its 2026 advisory said retatrutide sold online comes from unregulated sources, with reports of contamination, severe nervous-system symptoms and overdose.
Do 'research use only' labels make peptides legal in NZ?
Medsafe said such labels can be misleading when products are promoted for personal use or injection.
Related on Grey Peptides
Sources
- RNZ. Medsafe considers crackdown on import of unregulated peptide medications. Read October 3, 2026.
- Medsafe. Agenda for the 70th Medicines Classification Committee meeting, item 5.2: Body Protective Compound-157 (BPC-157), proposed classification change to prescription medicine. Read October 3, 2026. Medsafe
- Medsafe. Classification of Unscheduled Peptides: submission to the Medicines Classification Committee (74th meeting agenda, item 5.7). Read October 3, 2026. Medsafe
- Medsafe. Unapproved peptide products health warning (consumer advisory, 2026), as relayed by Healthify He Puna Waiora. Read October 3, 2026.
- Grey Peptides WADA hub (2026 Prohibited List). 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.
New guides and rule changes, by email
One short email when a peptide's legal status moves — an FDA or PCAC decision, a WADA list change, an enforcement action — plus new guides and tools. At most one a week, and none when nothing changes. The newsletter has not started sending yet: your first email will be its first issue.
We keep your email address and the page you signed up from, nothing else. How it works · Privacy · RSS instead