In mid-July, after attending the Revolution Against Aging and Death festival (RAADfest), held at Summerlin’s Red Rock Hotel and Casino, two women were hospitalized with frightening symptoms.
They had received peptide injections at the event’s clinic, which proponents say boost muscle growth, aid fat loss, speed up post-exercise recovery, and improve skin appearance. A controversial wellness treatment, they’re backed by Health and Human Services Secretary RFK Jr., who’s criticized the FDA’s regulation of them.
Both women are now recovering. Yet the incident attracted the attention of not only local law enforcement — which is currently investigating reports that as many as five more people sought medical treatment after RAADfest — but also ProPublica reporter Anjeanette Damon.
Her reporting revealed that two of the three healthcare providers overseeing and administering the injections were not properly licensed in Nevada. That included the lead provider, a Dr. Kent Holtorf, who was only licensed to practice in California.
When Damon spoke to him, Holtorf’s claims to innocence hinged on a 50-plus-page report, generated by an AI app, which declared the peptides to be unlikely to have caused the illnesses.
“[Though] the doctor stopped short of telling me what AI said was responsible in this case,” she noted.
Damon said there’s no way of knowing yet what aspects of the peptide injections caused the reactions until local medical authorities finish their investigations, which are ongoing.
“They’re looking at it to see if there was a problem with the medication itself,” she said, “whether something in the injection became contaminated, whether they were injected with what they thought they were being injected with, or if they just had a really severe allergic reaction.”
In the interim, there’s the possibility that cases like this one prompt the state to reexamine the legality of gatherings like RAADfest.
“Nevada doesn't seem to have any overarching regulation or law that really governs such a festival where such therapies are available outside of a traditional medical office,” Damon said. “So, it may be something that regulators take a look at.”
Guest: Anjeanette Damon, government accountability reporter, ProPublica’s Southwest Office
