Overview

Two different compounds share this name, which is a persistent source of confusion. The DAC version lasts a week and produces a sustained GH elevation; the non-DAC version behaves like sermorelin. Neither completed development.

Not approved for human use anywhereNo approval anywhere for human use. Sold under research-use labelling. Not approved for human use in the US, EU or UK. Sale for human consumption is unlawful.

At a glance

Regulatory status	Investigational; clinical development discontinued. Not approved. Widely sold grey-market.
Drug class	GHRH analog; the DAC version bears a maleimide linker that binds serum albumin
Route	Subcutaneous (research)
Half-life	Non-DAC ~30 minutes; with DAC roughly 6–8 days
Evidence rating	2/5 Limited Evidence rating 2 out of 5: Limited Preclinical work plus scattered human reports, uncontrolled use, or negative trials.
Studied in	Small phase 1 pharmacokinetic and safety studies in healthy adults; development halted.

How it works

GHRH receptor agonism. The Drug Affinity Complex covalently binds circulating albumin, extending half-life from minutes to days and converting pulsatile stimulation into a continuous "bleed" of GH — a pharmacology quite unlike natural secretion.

Evidence base

Rated 2 of 5 — Limited. Preclinical work plus scattered human reports, uncontrolled use, or negative trials.

Human data limited to phase 1 pharmacokinetics.
No efficacy trial for any clinical outcome has been completed.

Benefits & potential uses

Bars indicate how well each claim is supported: three = strong human evidence, two = moderate, one = preliminary or preclinical.

Sustained GH and IGF-1 elevation Moderate evidence

Phase 1 data showed multi-day increases in GH and IGF-1 after a single DAC dose — the pharmacology works as designed.
Reduced injection frequency Moderate evidence

The DAC version requires weekly rather than daily dosing.
Synergy with ghrelin agonists Moderate evidence

Combining a GHRH analog with a GHRP produces a larger GH pulse than either alone — well established in pituitary physiology.

Risks, cons & cautions

Bars indicate seriousness: three = serious or common, two = moderate, one = minor.

Continuous GH exposure is non-physiological Serious

Natural GH is pulsatile. Chronic flat elevation is the pattern seen in acromegaly, and its long-term consequences with this drug are untested.
Development discontinued Serious

The sponsor stopped work; no phase 2 or 3 efficacy or safety data exist.
Insulin resistance and glucose elevation Moderate evidence

Expected with sustained GH/IGF-1 elevation.
Fluid retention, paraesthesia, carpal tunnel Moderate evidence

GH-excess symptoms reported by users.
Theoretical cancer promotion Serious

IGF-1 is mitogenic; chronic elevation in people with occult neoplasia is a genuine unknown.
Grey-market product quality Serious

Sold as "research use only" with no pharmaceutical oversight, and frequently mislabelled as to DAC status.
Banned in sport Minor

Prohibited by WADA at all times.

Who should avoid it

Active or prior malignancy
Pregnancy
Diabetes or insulin resistance
Anyone in tested sport

If used under medical supervision, monitor

IGF-1
Fasting glucose, HbA1c
Blood pressure, oedema

Interactions

Not exhaustive. Always have a pharmacist or physician review your full medication list — including supplements.

Insulin and oral hypoglycemics — GH elevation opposes insulin action, and requirements may increase
Corticosteroids — blunt the GH response
Thyroid hormone — GH axis changes can alter thyroid function testing

Commonly confused with

These mix-ups cause real harm — two products sold under one name, or two molecules whose effects run in opposite directions.

Sermorelin Limited Approval Evidence 3/5

CJC-1295 without DAC is functionally a sermorelin analog with a slightly longer half-life. CJC-1295 with DAC lasts about a week and produces continuous rather than pulsatile GH elevation — a fundamentally different exposure pattern. Vendors frequently do not specify which one they are selling.

Compare side by side

Ipamorelin Research Use Only Evidence 2/5

Different mechanisms, routinely combined. CJC-1295 acts on the GHRH receptor; ipamorelin acts on the ghrelin receptor. Neither combination has been tested in a clinical trial.

Compare side by side

Regulatory & legal status

Not approved for human use in the US, EU or UK. Sale for human consumption is unlawful.

Infographic

CJC-1295 — benefits & risks at a glance Download SVG

Where to read further

We link to live literature searches rather than a frozen citation list, so you always see current results — including anything published after our last review.

growth hormoneGHRHresearch chemicalIGF-1

Related peptides in Growth Hormone Axis

Terms used on this page

Terminal Half-Life: Terminal half-life is the time taken for drug concentration to fall by half during the final, slowest phase of elimination, and it sets the dosing interval.
Agonist: An agonist is a ligand that binds a receptor and stabilises its active conformation, producing a biological response rather than merely occupying the binding site.
Growth Hormone-Releasing Hormone (GHRH): GHRH is the 44-residue hypothalamic peptide that binds a Gs-coupled receptor on pituitary somatotrophs to drive growth hormone synthesis and pulsatile release.
Phase 1 Trial: A Phase 1 trial is the first administration of a compound to humans, designed to characterise safety, tolerability and pharmacokinetics rather than to demonstrate that the drug works.
Insulin-Like Growth Factor 1 (IGF-1): IGF-1 is a 70-amino-acid, proinsulin-like peptide produced mainly by the liver under growth hormone control, and it mediates most of the anabolic effects attributed to growth hormone.
GHRH Analogue: A GHRH analogue is a synthetic peptide that stimulates pituitary somatotrophs at the GHRH receptor, usually built as a stabilised fragment of the native 44-residue hypothalamic hormone.

This page is educational information, not medical advice. It cannot account for your medical history, medications, or risk factors. Do not start, stop or change any treatment based on it. Speak to a qualified healthcare professional who knows your case.