CJC-1295 (with DAC)
A synthetic growth hormone–releasing hormone analog; not FDA-approved.
What it is
CJC-1295 is a synthetic analog of growth-hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH), engineered — especially in its 'with DAC' form — to last far longer in the body than the natural hormone. It raises growth hormone and IGF-1 levels; that much early human data does show.
It was never approved as a drug, and its compounding eligibility has been through the same 2023–2024 FDA whiplash as ipamorelin: added to Category 2 in September 2023, removed in September 2024 after nomination withdrawal, and still under review since. Elevated GH and IGF-1 are lab findings, not outcomes — the leap from 'raises a hormone' to 'builds muscle safely' has not been made in controlled trials.
What researchers have actually studied it for
Sustained elevation of growth hormone and IGF-1 in early clinical research; development as a drug was never completed.
How it works
A modified GHRH(1-29) with four amino-acid substitutions for enzyme resistance; the DAC version adds a reactive group that covalently hitches the peptide to blood albumin, turning a minutes-long signal into a week-long one. The result is sustained — not pulsatile — elevation of GH and IGF-1.
The molecule itself
GHRH(1-29) with four stabilizing substitutions, plus — in the DAC version — a maleimidopropionic acid group that covalently bonds to albumin's cysteine-34 in the bloodstream. That covalent anchor is unusual chemistry: not binding but permanent attachment, converting a minutes-long hormone into a week-long passenger.
Where it came from
Developed by ConjuChem in the early 2000s to test whether long-acting GHRH could treat lipodystrophy and growth disorders. Development halted — one program was stopped after a serious adverse event — and the molecule migrated into the gray market, where its week-long action made it the convenient half of the famous stack.
The timeline
early 2000s
ConjuChem develops the DAC platform; CJC-1295 targets lipodystrophy indications.
2006
Published human studies document multi-day GH/IGF-1 elevation.
2000s
Development halts; one program stops after a serious adverse event.
2023–24
Category 2 listing, then removal — the compounding whipsaw.
2026
Advisory-committee review scheduled.
What the research record actually contains
- Early human studies: sustained multi-fold GH elevation and IGF-1 increases lasting days after single doses.
- No completed trials on body composition, recovery or aging endpoints.
- Development discontinued without ever defining long-term safety.
What could change this assessment
Like its stack partner, its near future is regulatory. Scientifically it's inert — no development program in two decades — leaving the unfinished safety file permanently unfinished unless the committee process forces new data generation.
What's known about risks
The known acute effects are the usual injection-site and flushing reports; the meaningful unknown is chronic, non-pulsatile GH/IGF-1 elevation — a physiological state natural GH signaling specifically avoids, with theoretical proliferative and metabolic risks nobody has quantified for this molecule.
Where it stands legally
Unapproved; compounding eligibility has flipped repeatedly since 2023 and remains a pharmacy-by-pharmacy question. Prohibited in tested sport.
Worth asking a licensed provider
- 1.Why sustained GHRH signaling rather than pulsatile alternatives — what's the clinical rationale for me?
- 2.What is today's compounding status at your pharmacy?
- 3.Which labs, how often, and what IGF-1 level would trigger stopping?
Common claims, corrected
“Week-long action is an upgrade over pulses.”
Reality: Natural GH secretion is pulsatile for regulatory reasons — receptor recovery, feedback troughs. Continuous elevation is the physiological experiment, not the refinement.
“No-DAC CJC is a different, safer product.”
Reality: No-DAC is essentially Mod GRF 1-29 — shorter-acting, equally unapproved, with the same absent outcome data. The names shuffle; the evidence doesn't.
CJC-1295 (with DAC) FAQ
What is the difference between CJC-1295 with and without DAC?
The DAC (drug affinity complex) modification binds the peptide to blood proteins, stretching its action from hours to about a week. 'Without DAC' versions, often called Mod GRF 1-29, act much more briefly. Both are unapproved.
Is CJC-1295 safe?
Unestablished. Early studies measured hormone levels, not long-term safety, and one research program was halted after a serious adverse event. Chronically elevating GH and IGF-1 carries theoretical risks that have never been characterized in trials.
Why is CJC-1295 usually stacked with ipamorelin?
The two act on different receptors — GHRH and ghrelin — so marketing pairs them as synergistic. The pairing's evidence is mechanistic reasoning, not clinical trial data.
What happened in the halted trial?
Reports connect a death during high-dose research to cardiovascular events. One event proves little statistically; development ending afterward, with no resumption in twenty years, says more.
How does DAC binding actually work?
A reactive group on the peptide forms a covalent bond with albumin in your blood — permanent attachment to a protein that circulates for weeks. Elegant chemistry in service of a physiologically debatable goal.