RAADfest: two women in critical care after peptide injections

What happened

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 recovered¹²¹⁰.

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 peptides¹². According to KNPR, which interviewed the ProPublica reporter, investigators were looking at whether something in the injection had been contaminated, whether the women received what they were told, or whether it was a severe allergic reaction⁸. Las Vegas police initially reported up to seven people seeking care; according to the organizers, the Southern Nevada Health District closed its review on July 22, 2025, confirming only the two severe cases⁹.

Fines, but no cause

In February 2026, as ProPublica reported in March, the Nevada Board of Pharmacy imposed $35,000 in fines: $10,000 on the booth's physician and $10,000 on a pharmacist, both for practicing without a Nevada license; $5,000 on an "integrative health coach"; and $10,000 on a Texas private membership association accused of mailing the peptides to Nevada, which the board called unlicensed wholesaling of drugs². But the cause was never determined: "We were not able to obtain the product, although attempts were made"².

What the medical literature shows

Among published cases of harm from "research peptides", melanotan stands out:

• Systemic toxicity with rhabdomyolysis, CPK 17,773 and creatinine 2.25, with ICU admission³.
• Kidney infarction with melanotan II as a possible cause⁴.
• Priapism after injecting "melanotan" (form not specified), with erectile function not recovered at 4 weeks⁵.

The FDA's risk entry for melanotan II cites cases of "melanoma, posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome, sympathomimetic toxidrome and priapism"⁶. The literature includes published cases of melanoma in melanotan users, although conclusive evidence of causation is lacking¹¹¹²¹⁴, and a case of posterior reversible encephalopathy¹³. For BPC-157, by contrast, the problem is the absence of data: a 2025 systematic review concluded "No clinical safety data were found"⁷. WADA also lists it on its 2026 Prohibited List as a non-approved substance, banned at all times¹⁵.