Rogue peptide performance enhancers on Swiss market

The Swiss Confederation warns against products containing peptides Keystone-SDA

The Swiss authorities have warned of an increasing number of performance enhancing products containing peptides being imported illegally into Switzerland.

Often ordered online, these unregulated and unauthorised products pose “considerable health risks”.

Swiss medicines regulator Swissmedic has worked with the federal customs and Swiss Sport Integrity (SSI) to carry out a targeted operation against illegally imported peptides.

They inspected 46 consignments containing “suspicious peptide-based preparations”, Swissmedic said in a statement on Tuesday.

Of the 23 consignments detained, 21 were classified as doping substances and two as medicines. The remaining 23 had to be released despite the health risk, as the quantities were below the legal import tolerance threshold, Swissmedic wrote.

The recipients did, however, receive a letter stating that taking such preparations was their own responsibility and was done at their own risk. Around 80% of the parcels inspected originated from Poland. The products were often mislabelled and sourced from unregulated suppliers.

The Swiss authorities warn against “products straddling the line between medicines, ‘lifestyle’ products and performance-enhancing substances”, which are increasingly being sold online to private individuals in Switzerland.

The advice highlights the difficulty for consumers in identifying these dubious offers. People interested in these products are often seeking quick fixes to improve their physical and mental performance.

Possible penalties

Peptides are molecules consisting of chains of amino acids, some of which are also naturally synthesised by the human body. Peptide-based active ingredients are used in medicines, particularly to treat diabetes, hormonal disorders or certain cancers.

However, the safety, efficacy and quality of these preparations must be scientifically proven before authorisation is granted.

Swissmedic warns that peptide-based substances promoted on websites or social media have often not undergone sufficient testing to ensure they are safe for human use. As there is no guarantee of their quality, they are therefore not authorised in Switzerland as medicines.

The authorities also point out that many of these substances are banned in sport. There are health risks involved, but this also constitutes a breach of anti-doping rules.

Furthermore, anyone who markets medicines that are not authorised in Switzerland is liable to criminal penalties.

Translated from German, sub-edited by mga