CJC-1295

What is CJC-1295?

The natural signal that starts growth hormone (GH) release from the pituitary is growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH), which comes from the hypothalamus. Because GHRH is broken down in the blood within minutes, its therapeutic use has remained limited. ^[2] CJC-1295 was designed to get around this: the biologically active first 29 amino acids of GHRH were combined with four modifications that resist breakdown and a reactive group added at the end. After injection, this group binds permanently (covalently) to the albumin protein in the blood, so the molecule borrows albumin’s long life. The rat study published in 2005 by the company that developed the molecule reported that CJC-1295 was still present in plasma 72 hours after injection and was seen on the albumin band. ^[5]

In the study in healthy adults, its estimated half-life was measured as 5.8–8.1 days. ^[1] For comparison, the action of the licensed GHRH analog tesamorelin and of secretagogues working through the ghrelin receptor, such as ipamorelin, is measured in hours. What half-life means is explained in a separate guide: What does half-life mean?

CJC-1295 is not growth hormone itself; it forces the pituitary to release its own hormone. Its effect therefore depends on a working pituitary. What the “research peptide” label means is covered in a separate guide: What does research peptide mean?

Are CJC-1295 with DAC and without DAC the same thing?

No. Two separate products share the name on the market:

• “CJC-1295 DAC” (Drug Affinity Complex): the molecule containing the albumin-binding reactive group, with which the human studies above were done. All published human and animal data belong to this form. ^{[5] [1]}
• “CJC-1295 no DAC” or “Mod GRF 1-29”: a GHRH(1-29) fragment carrying only the four modifications, without the albumin-binding group. Because it does not bind to albumin, an effect lasting days cannot be expected from this product. We found no published human study under this name; a PubMed search for “CJC-1295” (October 2026) returns only clinical studies done with the albumin-binding form. ^{[2] [3]}

Which one a product contains is not always clear from the label. In 2009 the Norwegian doping laboratory detected, by mass spectrometry, a 29-amino-acid peptide consistent with CJC-1295 in an unidentified preparation submitted by police and customs, and wrote that the substance had reached the public before clinical trials were completed and that there was reason to believe it was used within the bodybuilding community. ^[7]

How much has CJC-1295 been studied in humans?

Published human data consist of three small studies and one registry entry without results. None measures muscle, fat, sleep, recovery, performance or aging outcomes.

The authors of the Teichman study write that a cumulative effect was seen after repeated doses and that the data support the therapeutic use of CJC-1295. ^[1] This comment rests on a change in hormone level. A rise in growth hormone and IGF-1 is not a measured benefit for muscle mass, fat percentage or aging in a healthy person; on this site that line is therefore graded C (biomarker) and the clinical outcomes E (not studied in humans). Ionescu and Frohman likewise frame possible clinical benefit, in their conclusion, as a future research question for “patients with intact pituitary GH secretory capability.” ^[2]

The termination of the only trial in a patient group without reported results matters: HIV-associated abdominal fat is the indication for which tesamorelin, from the same class, is licensed, and what CJC-1295 does in this area is unknown. ^[4] The FDA likewise writes that the available clinical data for CJC-1295 are limited. ^[8]

What did animal studies show?

In 2005, researchers at the company that developed the molecule reported that in rats CJC-1295 increased the two-hour GH area under the curve four-fold compared with GHRH(1-29) and remained in plasma beyond 72 hours. ^[5]

In 2006, a Johns Hopkins group showed that giving CJC-1295 once a day for five weeks to mice lacking the GHRH gene (GHRH knockout) normalized body weight and length, while giving it every 48 or 72 hours corrected growth only partly. Treatment increased total RNA and GH mRNA in the pituitary, which the authors interpreted as proliferation of GH-producing cells. ^[6] This finding belongs to an animal model with no GHRH at all; it cannot be carried over to a healthy adult with normal GHRH. The general limits in carrying animal data over to humans are also discussed on the BPC-157 and TB-500 pages: BPC-157, TB-500.

What are the risks?

There are no long-term safety data; the longest published human study lasted 49 days. ^[1] What is known comes from regulatory assessments and from substances stimulating the same hormone pathway.

• Heart and blood vessels: Among the serious adverse events associated with CJC-1295, the FDA lists an increase in heart rate and a widespread vasodilatory (systemic vasodilator) reaction. ^[8]
• IGF-1 staying high for weeks: In the Teichman study, IGF-1 stayed above baseline for up to 28 days with repeated administration. ^[1] With a substance whose half-life is measured in days, stopping administration when an unwanted effect appears does not end the effect at once. What this rise would lead to if it lasted months or years has not been studied in humans; the relationship between long-term stimulation of the growth hormone axis and cancer risk is an open question that has not been studied for this substance.
• Blood sugar: Growth hormone reduces insulin sensitivity. The same FDA list reports, for GHRP-6, a rise in blood sugar due to reduced insulin sensitivity; for GHRP-2, with a note that causality was not established, an increase in insulin requirement; and for ibutamoren, that a study in patients recovering from hip fracture was stopped early because of a congestive heart failure signal. ^[8] These findings do not belong to CJC-1295; they show the types of risk that can be seen with stimulation of the growth hormone axis.
• Product quality and immune response: According to the FDA, CJC-1295 may carry a risk of immune response (immunogenicity) with some routes of administration; peptide-related impurities and the characterization of the active substance are complex. ^[8] In an unlicensed product, whether the content really is CJC-1295, whether it is the DAC or no-DAC form, and its purity have not been verified; the 2009 Norwegian case is one example. ^[7]

The general picture of side effects seen with peptides is in a separate guide: Peptide side effects

FDA, WADA and Türkiye: what is the legal status?

United States (FDA)

The FDA evaluates substances nominated for use as bulk ingredients in compounded (pharmacy-prepared) drugs and places those that may present significant safety risks in “category 2.” CJC-1295 is today in the “bulk drug substances nominated but withdrawn” table of that page: the nominators withdrew the nomination, but the FDA’s safety assessment (immunogenicity risk, increased heart rate and widespread vasodilatory reaction, limited clinical data) remains on the same page. ^[8] In the archived copy of the page dated September 27, 2024, CJC-1295 appears in the same table. ^[9] This list is neither a drug approval nor a ban; it concerns the use of the substances in compounding. There is no approved medicine containing CJC-1295 in the United States.

Sport (WADA)

In WADA’s list in force from 1 January 2026, under S2.2.4 “growth hormone releasing factors,” CJC-1295 appears by name among the GHRH analog examples (together with CJC-1293, sermorelin and tesamorelin). Substances in section S2 are prohibited at all times, in and out of competition. ^[10] Doping laboratories have published methods that detect CJC-1295 in blood and urine; the 2010 Norwegian report is one of the early examples. ^[7]

Türkiye

In the TİTCK (Turkish Medicines and Medical Devices Agency) Licensed Human Medicinal Products List dated October 16, 2026, there is no product with CJC-1295 as the active substance. ^[11] Article 19 of Law No. 1262 on Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Preparations (İspençiyari ve Tıbbi Müstahzarlar Kanunu) punishes with imprisonment of one to five years those who manufacture unlicensed preparations and those who knowingly sell, offer for sale or have sold preparations manufactured in this way; importing preparations made abroad for commercial purposes without a license counts as smuggling. ^[12]

The general legal framework for peptides in Türkiye and other countries is in a separate guide: Are peptides legal?

CJC-1295 is sold together with ipamorelin; has that been studied?

No. The two substances stimulate growth hormone through different receptors and were studied in humans separately and for different purposes; the effect and safety of combined use have not been measured in a controlled human study. ^[1] Ipamorelin’s own data are in its guide, and the side-by-side view is on the comparison page: Ipamorelin, CJC-1295 or ipamorelin?

Limits of this guide

This page summarizes the published human and animal data on CJC-1295 and the decisions of official bodies. It does not give dose, cycle, preparation, administration technique or product sourcing information; the administrations in the studies are only the protocol of that study. A health problem related to the growth hormone axis is a condition that needs to be measured and treated and requires physician assessment.