Medsafe warns New Zealanders that unapproved peptides are illegal to import, sell or use

Medsafe published the advisory on 21 May 2026 to set out what it called significant health and legal risks from unapproved peptide products and selective androgen receptor modulators (SARMs) imported and supplied in New Zealand ^[1]. It said it is aware of increasing imports and sales of these products and continues to seize them, and the advisory includes photographs of seized peptide products ^[1].

Medsafe stated that it has not assessed these products for quality, safety or efficacy. It warned that they may be of poor quality, may not contain the substance on the label, may contain other harmful substances, or may not be sterile ^[1].

The advisory lists products that online sellers commonly advertise: BPC-157, CJC-1295, GHRP-6, ipamorelin, kisspeptin, KLOW, melanotan II, retatrutide, TB-500 and thymosin, along with two it spells "sealank" and "seamax", the names under which selank and Semax are usually sold ^[1]. Medsafe says the list is not complete and that there are many others ^[1].

For the named products, Medsafe's view is that even where a product contains the advertised ingredient, there is no good scientific evidence that it works as advertised or that it is safe. Because the products are injected and there is no evidence they are sterile, it says there is a high risk of life-threatening infection ^[1].

Under the Medicines Act 1981, Medsafe says, many peptide products and SARMs are prescription medicines, and it is unlawful to import, supply, possess or procure prescription medicines unless this is authorised ^[1]. Products sold outside the regulated medicines system are illegal regardless of how they are labelled or marketed, and claims such as "clinically proven", "safe" or "approved" do not make them legal ^[1].

The advisory is direct about research labels. Medsafe says the wording "for research purposes only" has no legal effect and does not permit sale, supply or use in people ^[1]. Clinical trials of new medicines in New Zealand need approval from Medsafe and an ethics committee, and Medsafe says it has not approved any trials in New Zealand for these products. A product offered for personal use, injection or consumption is, in Medsafe's words, being supplied unlawfully ^[1].

This matches the classification history. In May 2023 Medsafe's Medicines Classification Committee noted that BPC-157 was not then scheduled in New Zealand, that there were no approved products or pending applications containing it, and that Medsafe had seen personal imports. The committee recommended adding BPC-157 to the schedule as a prescription medicine ^[2]. So is BPC-157 legal to use in New Zealand without a prescription? Medsafe's advisory says it is not.

The advisory gives retatrutide its own section. Medsafe describes it as a potential medicine still being studied that has not been approved by any trusted medicines regulator, apart from use in overseas clinical trials ^[1]. It says any retatrutide sold to the public comes from the black market, and that international reports have linked black-market retatrutide to fatal overdose, contamination, severe neurological symptoms, hair loss and other serious effects ^[1].

Searches for retatrutide approval status 2026 often mix trial news with regulatory news. Medsafe's advisory addresses only the second: as of May 2026, no trusted regulator had approved it ^[1]. Our guide comparing retatrutide vs tirzepatide covers the trial evidence separately.

Medsafe's advice is not to use them, to seek medical advice immediately after using an unapproved injectable and feeling unwell, and to report adverse effects to the national pharmacovigilance database. It asks people to take unwanted products to a community pharmacy or drug-checking service, and to dispose of needles in an approved sharps container rather than household rubbish ^[1].

Personal importation of a prescription medicine by post or courier needs a reasonable excuse, and Medsafe's import guidance caps it at three months' supply, or one month for controlled drugs ^[3]. The medicine must be for the importer or an immediate family member and must not be sold or supplied to anyone else ^[3].

For anyone asking whether Semax is legal in New Zealand, or any other named product, the advisory treats them the same way: illegal to import, sell or use without authorisation. The full picture, including Medsafe's classification database, is on our New Zealand legal status page, and other markets are compared on the legal status overview. The BPC-157 price comparison for New Zealand lists what overseas sellers advertise; it is not a statement that importing those products is lawful. The question "is Semax legal" has a different answer in each country, so check the market you are in.