Coroner: Mad Max Actor Richard Norton Died From Reaction to Unapproved Peptides, Calls for Ban

An Australian coroner has revealed that actor Richard Norton, known for his role in Mad Max: Fury Road, died in March 2025 at age 75 from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest and anaphylaxis after injecting unapproved peptides. The inquest found Norton had been using the experimental therapy off-label for muscle growth and pain relief, and had told a nurse he was administering double the prescribed dose. Asthma and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy were listed as contributing factors.

His wife, Judy Norton, performed CPR after he collapsed at home, but he died at the hospital. In her tribute, she said,“I am numb and devastated, I have no words. I have lost my everything.”The coroner’s findings also included a formal recommendation that peptide therapy be banned for human use except in clinical trials, noting the uncertainty around both therapeutic benefit and risk.

The story lands in the middle of a booming wellness injection industry, where unapproved treatments are marketed online with little oversight. It raises real questions about consumer safety, patient responsibility, and how tightly these products should be controlled. Have you ever considered peptides or off-label wellness injections? Tell us your take in the comments.