Injectable Peptide Use Surges, Harm Reduction Services See Skyrocketing Demand for Equipment

As injectable peptides surge in popularity on social media, harm-reduction services in Western Australia say the rate of people accessing equipment to use the synthetic substances is skyrocketing.

Grey market or unregulated peptides have exploded in popularity as influencers tout their supposed benefits for purposes such as weight loss and anti-aging.

Peptides are short chains of amino acids that make up proteins in our bodies.

The Therapeutic Goods Administration has announced a crackdown on unapproved peptides, amid public health concerns.

Approved peptide medicine must be prescribed and taken under the care of a doctor.

A couple of the most recognisable examples of regulated peptides are insulin and GLP-1 medications such as Ozempic.

Peer Based Harm Reduction (PBHR) service operates WA's largest needle and syringe exchange program, with face-to-face services in Perth and Bunbury.

The not-for-profit health service provides sterile injecting equipment.

While still making up a much smaller portion of its work than other illicit drugs, the organisation said the number of people accessing its equipment for synthetic peptide use had doubled in the past three years.

"We've always had a proportion of our consumers who are using what we call performance- and image-enhancing drugs, things like anabolic steroids," PBHR chief executive Paul Dessauer said.

Mr Dessauer said there were legitimate therapeutic uses for synthetic peptides, but the service was concerned over those that were purchased in a largely unregulated market.

"That's our concern in terms of this being an emerging public health issue," he said.

Changing demographics

Renae Malan, who owns a personal training business in Bunbury, 170 kilometres south of Perth, says she has noticed an increase in people in the fitness industry using peptides in the past 10 months.

"It goes from probably years ago, just elite athletes using these peptides, to now, I'm seeing the average Joe Blow who wants to feel better, who wants to perform better [using them] … everyone seems to be getting amongst it now," Ms Malan said.

PBHR peer worker Peta Gava said people accessing injecting equipment for peptides fell across multiple cohorts.

"In the past, people accessing our service for steroids and peptides generally fit a specific demographic: mostly men aged 26 to 45 focused on sport and bodybuilding," she said.

One hundred kilometres up the road in Mandurah, Palmerston operates a needle-and-syringe exchange program for the region.

Chief executive Emma Jarvis said the service had also witnessed a large increase in those seeking needles for peptide use.

Ms Jarvis added that the demand for those needles was still in a smaller proportion to other illicit drugs.

"We give out tens of thousands of needles regularly," she said.

"But it's just because it's such a marked increase in this area, we're starting to notice it."

Long-term risk unknown

Timothy Piatkowski is a senior research fellow at the University of Queensland and has included peptides in his research since about 2020.

He said social media trends, coupled with a global supply of peptides, were likely contributing to the recent increase in use.

"You've got a whole new cohort of people who inject drugs who aren't necessarily exposed to bloodborne virus prevention messaging … who are flooding the needle and syringe programs."

As part of his research, Dr Piatkowski is conducting a trial for the community to submit their peptides and have the substances tested for their contents.

He said there were inherent risks when purchasing from an unregulated market.

"[For example,] not getting the peptide that you intended, getting a contaminated substance, getting presence of toxic heavy metals, other bacteria like staph in the vial," he said.

He also said there was a lack of research and human data available for many of the peptides people were injecting.

"We don't know what risks are going to be present in humans across the long term," he said.

"We need research investment in population-level surveillance, and we need research investment in any potential peptides where people see promise or that we know they're using."