Educational reference only. Informational material drawn from peer-reviewed literature. Not medical advice and not a recommendation to use, dose, or modify any therapy. Decisions about hormone therapy should be made with a qualified healthcare provider.
Overview
Overview
CJC-1295 is a synthetic long-acting growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH) analog developed by ConjuChem Biotechnologies in the mid-2000s as a candidate therapy for growth hormone deficiency, HIV-associated lipodystrophy, and muscle wasting conditions. It represented an innovative pharmaceutical design, using a drug affinity complex (DAC) technology that allows the peptide to bind covalently to albumin in circulation, extending the half-life from the ~12 minutes of native GHRH or sermorelin to approximately 8 days, enabling weekly dosing.
CJC-1295 exists in two distinct forms commonly available through non-medical channels, and the distinction is critical:
| Form | Half-life | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| CJC-1295 with DAC | ~6–8 days | The original ConjuChem compound; reached Phase 2 trials; halted 2006 |
| CJC-1295 No DAC | ~30 minutes | Same as Modified GRF (1-29); different pharmacological profile |
The "with DAC" version is what's typically referred to as "CJC-1295" in pharmaceutical literature. The "No DAC" version is structurally identical to Modified GRF (1-29), the tetrasubstituted sermorelin variant, but without the DAC technology that enables albumin binding.
Clinical development was halted in 2006 after a participant in a Phase 2 trial for HIV lipodystrophy died from cardiovascular causes. The death was officially attributed by the attending physician to pre-existing coronary disease rather than to CJC-1295 directly, but the program was discontinued and never resumed.
Forms
Available forms & half-lives
| Form | Approximate half-life |
|---|---|
| **CJC-1295 with DAC** (original ConjuChem compound; halted Phase 2) | ~6–8 days |
| **CJC-1295 No DAC** (= Mod GRF 1-29; tetrasubstituted sermorelin variant) | ~30 minutes |
What it does
Main effects
- Sustained GH/IGF-1 elevation (with DAC form): Teichman et al. 2006 Phase 1 showed 2-fold serum GH increase lasting up to 6 days and 1.5–3 fold IGF-1 elevation lasting 9–11 days from a single subcutaneous dose PMID: 16352683
- Weekly dosing convenience (with DAC form): ~6–8 day half-life via covalent albumin binding; the longest-acting GHRH analog ever tested in humans
- GHRH receptor agonism: same fundamental mechanism as sermorelin and tesamorelin; activates pituitary somatotrophs to release endogenous GH
- DAC (Drug Affinity Complex) technology: maleimidopropionic acid (MPA) group enables covalent binding to Cys34 of human serum albumin; the defining innovation of CJC-1295 with DAC
- No DAC form (= Mod GRF 1-29): ~30-minute half-life; brief GH pulse similar to sermorelin; structurally identical to Modified GRF (1-29)
- Separate receptor from the GHRPs: GHRH receptor agonism and GHS-R1a agonism act on different receptors of the same somatotroph, so their signaling is additive rather than redundant
- Originally targeted HIV-associated lipodystrophy: Phase 2 development as alternative to daily tesamorelin
- Anti-aging / body composition (non-medical use): claimed effects on body composition, sleep, recovery; no controlled trial evidence for these indications
What to watch for
Common side effects
- Phase 2 trial halted in 2006 after patient cardiovascular death: officially attributed to pre-existing coronary disease rather than CJC-1295; causation remains contested; program never resumed
- Sustained (non-pulsatile) GH/IGF-1 elevation with DAC form: loses the "physiological" advantage of GHRH-based therapy; more similar to direct GH (somatropin) pattern; theoretical concerns about acromegaly-like effects and cancer biology not resolved
- Injection site reactions (pain, redness, swelling): most common adverse effect
- Insulin resistance and possible fasting glucose elevation: may be more significant with sustained DAC form than pulsatile sermorelin
- Theoretical cardiovascular concerns: unresolved given the 2006 Phase 2 death; careful evaluation warranted in patients with cardiovascular risk factors
- Theoretical cancer concerns: sustained IGF-1 elevation theoretically more concerning than pulsatile pattern; no long-term cancer data
- Acromegaly-like effects theoretically possible with prolonged sustained-elevation use
- Constitutional symptoms (flushing common with initial doses, headache, dizziness, tingling)
- Mild fluid retention and possible blood pressure changes: GH-related
- Carpal tunnel syndrome: possible with prolonged use
- Sleep effects: variable; some improvement, some disturbance
- No modern controlled trials since 2006; long-term safety substantially less well-characterized than sermorelin
- Combined use with a GHRP (ipamorelin, GHRP-2) has never been studied in a controlled clinical trial despite widespread non-medical use
- The "with DAC" vs "No DAC" terminology confusion is widespread: many users believing they're using "CJC-1295" are actually using Mod GRF 1-29; pharmacology is very different
- Quality concerns for research chemical supply: identity verification critical (DAC vs No DAC), concentration variability, sterility, storage stability of the peptide-MPA complex
- WADA-prohibited under category S2; long half-life of DAC form means extended detection window
- Tesamorelin carries the larger modern evidence base among GHRH analogs: it retains its FDA approval and has Phase 3 evidence in HIV lipodystrophy
Key facts
Key facts worth knowing
- CJC-1295 with DAC is a 30-amino acid peptide modeled on the first 29 amino acids of human GHRH, with four amino acid substitutions (matching Modified GRF 1-29) plus a maleimidopropionic acid (MPA) group at position 30 that enables covalent binding to circulating albumin.
- The albumin binding extends half-life dramatically, from ~12 minutes (native GHRH/sermorelin) to ~6–8 days (CJC-1295 with DAC). This is the single most important pharmacological feature.
- Phase 1 trial (Teichman et al. 2006, JCEM) enrolled 21 healthy adults aged 21–61 testing single subcutaneous doses ranging from 30 to 250 mcg/kg. Demonstrated 2-fold increase in serum GH lasting up to 6 days and 1.5–3 fold IGF-1 elevation lasting 9–11 days. PMID: 16352683
- Phase 2 trial (NCT00267527) for HIV lipodystrophy enrolled 192 patients with dose-escalation up to 240 mcg/kg/week. Halted in 2006 after one participant cardiovascular death. ConjuChem voluntarily halted the trial and ultimately discontinued the program. The attending physician's assessment attributed the death to pre-existing coronary artery disease rather than to CJC-1295.
- The "with DAC" version produces sustained GH/IGF-1 elevation rather than pulsatile release. This is a significant difference from sermorelin and from physiological GH secretion. The sustained elevation has theoretical safety concerns related to acromegaly-like effects and cancer biology.
- Confusion between "CJC-1295" forms is widespread. Many users believing they're using "CJC-1295" are actually using CJC-1295 No DAC (= Modified GRF 1-29), which has very different pharmacology. The "with DAC" version is the original Phase 2 compound; the "No DAC" version is the sermorelin variant with ~30-minute half-life.
- WADA Prohibited under category S2 of the Prohibited List (peptide hormones, growth factors, and related substances). All GH secretagogues banned in and out of competition. The long half-life of CJC-1295 with DAC means extended detection windows.
Legal status
Legal status
No FDA approval. No active FDA approval pathway as of 2026. Phase 2 development halted 2006 after patient cardiovascular death. Available through 503A/503B compounding pharmacies (with evolving regulatory status) and unregulated sources. Not a controlled substance. WADA-prohibited under category S2.