UK becoming ‘wild west’ for experimental peptides, expert warns

Steroids, previously associated with gym culture, are now more accessible and their use normalised on social media, the experts said. Illustration: Guardian Design/Getty View image in fullscreen Steroids, previously associated with gym culture, are now more accessible and their use normalised on social media, the experts said. Illustration: Guardian Design/Getty UK becoming ‘wild west’ for experimental peptides, expert warns Prof Channa Jayasena says growing online sales of unregulated drugs risk fatalities as responsibility falls between regulators Fitness influencers linked to wellness brand helping run illegal steroid market on Telegram The UK has become a “wild west” for people peddling experimental peptides, steroids and other substances, a leading expert has said, warning action must be taken to avoid fatalities. Prof Channa Jayasena of Imperial College London, a consultant in reproductive endocrinology and andrology at Hammersmith and St Mary’s hospitals, said he is now encountering patients “day in, day out” who are taking experimental peptides. He warned there are serious risks to their use, with the issue “falling between the stools” of regulatory bodies. Many online sellers of experimental peptides tout them as part of a “wellness” regime, while anabolic steroids are pushed for their alleged impact on image and performance. However, Jayasena said there could be catastrophic consequences. He said steroids are known to increase the risk of death threefold while there are also dangers from peptides, not least as many are made in China and are thereby not subject to standard quality controls and are at risk of contamination. “It feels that we’re in the wild west and it feels like we’ve rapidly arrived in a situation of lawlessness when it comes to people normalising the administration of potentially very powerful and sometimes untested peptides and products that could have devastating consequences for their health,” he said. “It’s a shocking development that I think we’re sleepwalking into. “People are buying this stuff and injecting it into their veins. This is atrocious, and this could lead to deaths … [Peptides are] made with lots of very powerful solvents that you have to try to remove from the process to sufficient purity so as not to be dangerous,” he said. “I do think there’s a need for a politician or someone to actually take this by the scruff of the neck because someone’s going to die.” The warnings come as an investigation by the Guardian revealed how fitness influencers are using the social media platform Telegram to sell anabolic steroids, prescription-only medicines and unregulated experimental peptides. Susan Backhouse, a professor of sport psychology and behavioural nutrition at Leeds Beckett University, said that, while steroid use has historically been seen as something associated with gym settings and culture, there is now a broader normalisation of enhancement across several demographics. “Both men and women are showing