Key points
- On July 13, 2025, two women aged 38 and 51 were injected at RAADfest. Both were critically ill and needed intubation, and by March 2026 both had recovered [1][2].
- According to the police report, each blend included at least one component the FDA describes as posing significant risks when compounded [1].
- In February 2026 the Nevada Board of Pharmacy fined four parties but could not determine the cause: it could not obtain the product [2].
- The literature reports serious melanotan cases: rhabdomyolysis with CPK 17,773 and kidney infarction with melanotan II, and priapism [3][4][5].
US status (October 2026): See the peptide status tracker.
Two women were intubated after a festival booth injection
RAADfest is a longevity and “anti-aging” festival. At the July 2025 edition in Las Vegas, according to ProPublica, two women aged 38 and 51 received injections of peptide blends at a booth. Soon afterward they felt as if their tongues were swelling, with shortness of breath and a racing heart. By the time they reached the hospital, one was already intubated. The other “lost muscle control in her neck and couldn’t open her eyes.” Both required ventilation and later recovered [1][2].
According to the police report cited by ProPublica, the women received different blends, and each contained at least one component the FDA describes as posing significant risks when compounded. The reports do not identify the specific peptides [1][2].
Nevada issued fines but never found the cause
In February 2026, as ProPublica reported in March, the Nevada Board of Pharmacy fined four parties: the booth’s physician and a pharmacist, both for practicing without a Nevada license; an “integrative health coach”; and a Texas private membership association accused of mailing the peptides to Nevada, which the board called unlicensed wholesaling of drugs [2]. The cause was never determined: “We were not able to obtain the product, although attempts were made” [2].
- 2: women in critical condition, on ventilators [1][2]
- 4: parties fined by the Nevada Board of Pharmacy [2]
- 0: products tested, because the vial could not be obtained [2]
The enforcement pattern matters for you. A physician and a pharmacist were fined for working without a Nevada license, and the supplier was treated as an unlicensed wholesaler [2]. A private membership association label did not change the board’s view. For the federal side of the same question, see are peptides legal and what research-use-only labeling means.
The literature on melanotan harm is the clearest
Among published cases of harm from “research peptides,” melanotan stands out:
- Systemic toxicity with rhabdomyolysis, CPK 17,773 and creatinine 2.25, with ICU admission [3].
- Kidney infarction with melanotan II as a possible cause [4].
- Priapism after injecting “melanotan” (form not specified), with erectile function not recovered at 4 weeks [5].
The FDA’s risk entry for melanotan II cites cases of “melanoma, posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome, sympathomimetic toxidrome and priapism” [6]. For BPC-157, the problem is the absence of data: a 2025 systematic review concluded “No clinical safety data were found” [7]. Its current status is on the BPC-157 status page.
Keep the vial when a patient reacts
When a patient has an acute reaction after a “peptide” injection, it is almost never known what they received, and vials can rarely be tested [1][2]. Keeping the product, lot and source is part of management and of the pharmacovigilance report. Build that step into your adverse event response protocol so staff do it before anything is discarded.
References
- ProPublica. Peptide injections at RAADfest (two women hospitalized). 29 July 2025. Link
- ProPublica. Nevada fines over RAADfest peptide injections. 13 March 2026. Link
- Nelson ME, et al. Melanotan II injection resulting in systemic toxicity and rhabdomyolysis. Clin Toxicol. 2012;50(10):1169-73. PMID 23121206. Link
- Peters B, et al. Melanotan II: a possible cause of renal infarction: review of the literature and case report. CEN Case Rep. 2020;9(2):159-161. PMID 31953620. Link
- Dreyer BA, et al. Melanotan-induced priapism: a hard-earned tan. BMJ Case Rep. 2019;12(2):e227644. PMID 30796078. Link
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Certain Bulk Drug Substances for Use in Compounding that May Present Significant Safety Risks. Link
- Vasireddi N, et al. Emerging use of BPC-157 in orthopaedic sports medicine: a systematic review. HSS J. 2025;21(4):485-495. PMID 40756949. Link
This is general information, not medical or legal advice. Rules vary by state and change. Confirm your own facts with counsel.