CJC-1295

CJC-1295 is a synthetic, long-acting analog of human growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH). It is built on the first 29 amino acids of GHRH (the same active fragment as sermorelin) with four amino-acid substitutions (D-Ala2, Gln8, Ala15, Leu27) that make it resistant to breakdown by the enzyme dipeptidyl peptidase-IV (DPP-IV). The best-studied form, "CJC-1295 with DAC," adds a Drug Affinity Complex — a maleimidopropionyl group on a C-terminal lysine — that covalently binds to circulating albumin after injection, dramatically lengthening how long the molecule stays active. A separate short-acting variant without this albumin-binding group is properly called Modified GRF(1-29) and is often sold in grey markets as "CJC-1295 without DAC." It was developed by ConjuChem Biotechnologies in the mid-2000s and is not an approved medicine.

Education only. This page summarises published research and regulatory status. It is not medical advice and gives no dosing, preparation or administration instructions; any decision about use belongs with an independent qualified professional.

Also known as

CJC-1295 with DAC, DAC:GRF, Drug Affinity Complex GRF, CJC-1295 DAC, Modified GRF(1-29) (the non-DAC short-acting variant, sometimes marketed as 'CJC-1295 without DAC')

Class

Long-acting growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH) analog / growth hormone (GH) secretagogue — a tetra-substituted analog of GHRH(1-29) (sermorelin), with the "DAC" form bearing an albumin-binding Drug Affinity Complex

How does CJC-1295 work?

CJC-1295 binds and activates the GHRH receptor on somatotroph cells in the anterior pituitary gland. Receptor activation raises intracellular cAMP (via adenylate cyclase), which stimulates the synthesis and pulsatile release of the body's own growth hormone (GH); the rise in GH in turn drives the liver and other tissues to produce insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1). Because it works upstream by amplifying endogenous GH pulses rather than supplying GH directly, it is described as a GH secretagogue. The DPP-IV-resistant substitutions plus the albumin-binding DAC keep it in circulation for days, producing prolonged, repeated GH/IGF-1 stimulation from a single dose.

What has CJC-1295 been studied for?

• Prolonged stimulation of endogenous GH and IGF-1 secretion in healthy adults (early-phase pharmacology)
• Growth hormone deficiency (investigational, early-phase)
• HIV-associated lipodystrophy / visceral fat (Phase II, discontinued)
• Normalizing growth in a GHRH-knockout mouse model (preclinical)

What does the evidence show?

Human evidence is thin and dated. The principal clinical data come from Teichman et al., JCEM 2006 — two small randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind ascending-dose trials (28 and 49 days) in healthy adults aged 21-61. A single subcutaneous injection produced dose-dependent rises in mean plasma GH of 2- to 10-fold for 6+ days and IGF-1 of roughly 1.5- to 3-fold for 9-11 days, with IGF-1 staying above baseline up to 28 days after repeated dosing. Beyond this, there are no completed, published large-scale efficacy trials for any clinical endpoint (body composition, fat loss, anti-aging, injury recovery, athletic performance) — ConjuChem's Phase II program in HIV lipodystrophy was halted (see safety). Real-world "recomp/anti-aging" claims rest on mechanism and short biomarker studies, not on outcome data, and are subject to publication bias from vendor-affiliated sources. Long-term safety and efficacy are essentially unstudied. Evidence quality: low; early-phase, small-n, surrogate-marker endpoints only.

What is known about the safety of CJC-1295?

In the short healthy-adult trials it was described as safe and relatively well tolerated, with reported effects including mild injection-site reactions (pain, itching, swelling), headache, flushing, water retention/edema, transient insomnia, and occasional diarrhea or transient blood-pressure changes. The major safety signal is from ConjuChem's Phase II trial in HIV-associated lipodystrophy (~192 participants): one participant died of a cardiac event about two hours after an eleventh weekly dose, and the program was terminated as a precaution. The attending physician judged the most likely cause to be pre-existing asymptomatic coronary artery disease with plaque rupture, considered unrelated to the drug — but the event ended clinical development. Theoretical and class-level concerns from sustained GH/IGF-1 elevation include impaired insulin sensitivity/glucose tolerance, fluid retention, joint pain/carpal-tunnel-type symptoms, and the general caution that chronically elevated IGF-1 is biologically relevant to tissue growth; none of these are well characterized for CJC-1295 over the long term. Grey-market, non-pharmaceutical-grade material carries added risks of impurities, contamination, immunogenicity, and inaccurate content. Contraindications cannot be reliably defined given the absence of modern safety data; an active or prior malignancy, diabetes/glucose dysregulation, and cardiovascular disease are clear reasons for caution and clinician oversight.

What is the legal status of CJC-1295?

Not approved by the FDA (or any major regulator) for any use; classified as an abandoned/discontinued investigational drug with no ATC code. It is not a legal consumer dietary supplement and is not an approved prescription product. In 2023 the FDA placed CJC-1295 in Category 2 of its interim 503A bulk-drug-substances list (effectively restricting compounding pharmacies from using it), citing safety concerns such as immunogenicity, impurities, and limited human data; in 2024 it was removed from Category 2 after the nominator withdrew the nomination and was referred to the Pharmacy Compounding Advisory Committee (PCAC), which reviewed it in December 2024 — so its compounding status remains unsettled and evolving. It is prohibited in sport at all times by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) as a GH secretagogue/GHRH analog. Material sold online for "research use only" is unapproved and unregulated.

What is the half-life of CJC-1295?

CJC-1295 with DAC: approximately 6-8 days in humans (estimated 5.8-8.1 days in the Teichman 2006 trials), owing to covalent binding to circulating albumin. The short-acting non-DAC variant, Modified GRF(1-29) ("CJC-1295 without DAC"), has a much shorter half-life on the order of ~30 minutes.

Sources

1. Teichman SL, Neale A, Lawrence B, et al. Prolonged Stimulation of GH and IGF-I Secretion by CJC-1295, a Long-Acting Analog of GH-Releasing Hormone, in Healthy Adults. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2006;91(3):799-805.
2. Alba M, Fintini D, Sagazio A, et al. Once-daily administration of CJC-1295, a long-acting GHRH analog, normalizes growth in the GHRH knockout mouse. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab. 2006;291(6):E1290-E1294.
3. CJC-1295 — Wikipedia
4. FDA — Interim Policy on Compounding Using Bulk Drug Substances Under Section 503A (Category 2 bulks list)
5. World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Prohibited List — Growth hormone secretagogues and GHRH analogs
6. Lipodystrophy study halted after patient death — aidsmap (2006)