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What is CJC-1295 with DAC?

CJC-1295 with DAC is a lab-made analog of growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH) with an added drug affinity complex (DAC) built to bind albumin in the blood.12 In small studies of healthy adults, one injection raised growth hormone and IGF-1 for about one to two weeks.3 It is not approved in the US or the 12 other countries FDA checked.410

This page summarizes published sources for information only. It is not medical advice and does not tell anyone to use a product. Questions about your own health belong with a licensed clinician. For questions about an order or a product, contact us.

Key facts

ClassSynthetic analog of growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH), a growth hormone secretagogue56
Also known asCJC-1295 DAC, CJC 1295 with DAC, DAC:GRF, CJC-1295 with drug affinity complex78
Forms we sell2 mg research vial of freeze-dried powder (the form FDA describes for CJC-1295 DAC)9
Half-life in peopleEstimated at 5.8 to 8.1 days in healthy adults3
Regulatory statusNot FDA-approved; no approved product in the 12 other countries FDA checked or in the EU410
WADA statusProhibited at all times under S2.2.4 (growth hormone releasing factors) on the 2026 WADA list11
DeveloperConjuChem Biotechnologies, Montreal; withdrawn from clinical trials in 200612

What sources report

What it is

CJC-1295 with DAC is a synthetic version of the active part of growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH), with four amino acids changed. Positions 2, 8, 15 and 27 of GHRH(1-29) switch from L-alanine, L-asparagine, L-glycine and L-methionine to D-alanine, L-glutamine, L-alanine and L-leucine.1 A 30th residue, a lysine, carries a maleimidopropionyl group, the drug affinity complex or DAC.72 PubChem lists the DAC form as C165H269N47O46, with a molar mass of 3647.2 g/mol.5

ConjuChem Biotechnologies in Montreal designed it in a program to make GHRH(1-29) last longer than the natural fragment, and first described it in 2005.12 The company withdrew it from clinical trials in 2006.12

How it works

GHRH and its 1 to 29 fragment act on GHRH receptors on somatotroph cells in the anterior (front) pituitary gland, which then release growth hormone (GH); GH in turn raises IGF-1.119 The DAC was built to bind the free thiol on cysteine 34 of serum albumin after injection. In the plasma of an injected rat, an albumin-bound form appeared within 15 minutes and stayed in circulation beyond 24 hours.2 FDA notes that direct evidence is lacking that albumin binding is what makes the DAC form long-lasting, and that the amino acid swaps may also play a part.22 Because it works through the pituitary's own GH output, patients with complete GH deficiency will not respond to it, according to FDA.18

What the human studies found

Only three small published studies gave CJC-1295 with DAC to people, all healthy volunteers.16 Of the 63 people who received it, 87% were men and 73% got a single dose.23 In two placebo-controlled trials of adults aged 21 to 61, one injection raised mean GH 2- to 10-fold for 6 days or more and IGF-I 1.5- to 3-fold for 9 to 11 days, depending on dose, with an estimated half-life of 5.8 to 8.1 days.3 In 12 healthy men, baseline GH was 7.5 times higher a week after one injection, while natural GH pulses kept their number and size.2438 The studies measured hormone levels, not muscle, fat or other health outcomes, and none enrolled people with a disease.1816 A 2026 review of injectable peptides in sports medicine still classes CJC-1295 as investigational.25

Claims of muscle gain, fat loss, better sleep and faster recovery come from websites that FDA reviewed, not from studies.2618 The evidence level behind each reported effect is set out in CJC-1295 with DAC benefits and uses. Researchers who need the compound itself can find CJC-1295 with DAC for sale as a research vial.

With DAC and without DAC

FDA calls the inconsistent naming of CJC-1295 substances a safety risk, because a patient may be given a different substance than the one a physician ordered.7 Both forms share the same modified 29-amino-acid core, but the form without DAC lacks the extra lysine and its maleimide group.271 FDA lists that form as C152H252N44O42 (3367.95 g/mol), treats the two as different active substances, and says results for the DAC form cannot be applied to the form without it.27722 FDA found no pharmacology studies of the form without DAC at all.1 Its own profile is What is CJC-1295 No DAC?.

Side effects

In the healthy-volunteer studies, the most common side effects were injection-site reactions (about 70% after one dose) and headache (63% on the drug against 14% on placebo), with diarrhea and flushing also frequent.28 After a single dose, 94% of people on the drug and 29% on placebo reported at least one adverse event, although no serious reactions were reported in those short studies.829 In the halted phase 2 trial, one participant had a heart attack 2 hours after an 11th weekly dose and died about an hour later; the death was attributed to coronary artery disease.3023 Full list: CJC-1295 with DAC side effects.

Dosage information

No human dose of CJC-1295 with DAC is established for any use. It is not approved in the US or in the 12 other countries FDA checked, it does not appear in professional society treatment guidelines, and FDA found no study of any form in people with a disease or condition.4101816 The published studies dosed healthy adults by body weight, from 20 to 250 mcg per kg, as single or repeated injections under the skin.331 Study by study: CJC-1295 with DAC dosage.

Reconstitution and storage

FDA's 2024 review, citing supplier sources, describes CJC-1295 DAC as a fine white freeze-dried powder stored at -20 °C, with a water solubility of about 2 mg/mL.329 Dissolved peptide can be kept at 4 °C, and the supplier source FDA cites recommends splitting it into several vials to avoid repeated freezing and thawing.32 With no approved label, there are no official mixing instructions.4 Lab steps and concentration math: How to reconstitute CJC-1295 with DAC.

Regulatory status

  • United States: no form of CJC-1295 is part of an approved drug or has a USP or NF monograph.4 After the original nominations were withdrawn, FDA evaluated five CJC-1295 forms on its own initiative and concluded that the evidence weighs against adding any of them to the 503A bulks list.429 Its advisory committee then voted 0 to 13 against CJC-1295 DAC free base on December 4, 2024.13
  • FDA safety listing: CJC-1295 appears on FDA's page of bulk drug substances that may present significant safety risks, which cites possible immune reactions, impurity and characterization problems, serious adverse events including increased heart rate and systemic vasodilatory reactions, and limited clinical data.33
  • Enforcement: an August 24, 2026 warning letter to an online peptide seller, whose named products did not include CJC-1295, pointed to its sale of bacteriostatic water with a 'peptide guide' and 'peptide calculator' as evidence of intended human use.14
  • Canada: Health Canada's April 9, 2026 advisory names CJC-1295 among unauthorized injectable peptides it has seized.21
  • Other countries: FDA found no approved CJC-1295 product in Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Norway, Spain or the United Kingdom.10
  • Sport: banned at all times as a non-Specified Substance under S2.2.4 of the 2026 WADA Prohibited List.11
  • Development: ConjuChem's phase 2 trial (NCT00267527) is listed as terminated in the trial registry.34
Compound What it is Approval and FDA status
CJC-1295 with DAC GHRH analog with an albumin-binding DAC7 Not FDA-approved4
CJC-1295 without DAC Same modified 29-amino-acid core, no DAC27 Not FDA-approved4
Sermorelin GHRH analog11 Was approved as Geref (NDA 020443) for short stature from GH deficiency in children6
Tesamorelin The full 44-amino-acid human GRF sequence plus a hexenoyl group35 FDA-approved since 2010 to reduce excess abdominal fat in HIV-infected adults with lipodystrophy35
Ipamorelin Five-amino-acid peptide acting at a GHRP-like receptor, not the GHRH receptor361 Listed by FDA in Category 2 for outsourcing facilities since September 29, 202333

Tesamorelin's label gives an elimination half-life of 11 minutes, against an estimated 5.8 to 8.1 days for CJC-1295 with DAC.353 It is approved for a group similar to the one CJC-1295's terminated phase 2 trial enrolled: adults with HIV and excess abdominal fat.3534 No GH secretagogue is approved to treat GH deficiency in adults.6 Websites promote pairing CJC-1295 with ipamorelin as synergistic, but the published human studies gave CJC-1295 with DAC alone.3716

Related profiles: What is Sermorelin?, What is Tesamorelin?, What is Ipamorelin? and What is CJC-1295 + Ipamorelin?.

More on CJC-1295 with DAC

  • CJC-1295 with DAC side effects

    Side effects of CJC-1295 with DAC as reported in clinical trials and published studies, with links to the full profile. Reviewed by a qualified reviewer.

  • CJC-1295 with DAC dosage

    Published dosing information for CJC-1295 with DAC from clinical trials and published studies, with its source, and why it is not advice for you.

  • CJC-1295 with DAC benefits and uses

    What published sources report about CJC-1295 with DAC and its uses, with the evidence level of each finding. No promises.

  • How to reconstitute CJC-1295 with DAC

    How CJC-1295 with DAC is reconstituted, the supplies used, and the calculator, step by step. Sourced and reviewed.

CJC-1295 with DAC in the store

CJC-1295 with DAC for sale: strengths, stock and shipping are on the product page.

For research use only. Not for human or veterinary use. Read the research use policy.

Related reading

Related profiles

Frequently asked questions

Is CJC-1295 FDA approved?

No. FDA's 2024 review found that no form of CJC-1295 is a component of an FDA-approved drug, and none has a USP or National Formulary monograph.4 The review also found no approved CJC-1295 product in any of the 12 other countries it checked, including Canada, Japan and the United Kingdom, and none authorized by the European Medicines Agency.10

Is CJC-1295 legal in the US?

CJC-1295 is not an approved drug,4 and in December 2024 FDA's compounding advisory committee voted 0 to 13 against placing CJC-1295 DAC free base on the list pharmacies may compound from.13 In an August 2026 warning letter to another peptide seller, FDA said that 'for research use only' and 'not for human or animal consumption' labels did not change its finding that the products were drugs intended for human use.14

Can a doctor prescribe CJC-1295 or a compounding pharmacy make it?

There is no FDA-approved CJC-1295 product to prescribe.4 In April 2020, FDA warned a Kentucky pharmacy that drugs it compounded with CJC 1295 did not qualify for the section 503A compounding exemptions, because the substance had no monograph, was not part of an approved drug and was not on the 503A bulks list.15 FDA also found no pharmacies marketing CJC-1295 products, and no outsourcing facility has reported compounding it since 2020.16

Is CJC-1295 banned in sports?

Yes. The WADA 2026 Prohibited List names CJC-1295 under S2.2.4, growth hormone releasing factors, and all S2 substances are banned at all times, in and out of competition.11 USADA reports that the 2027 list, in force from January 1, 2027, also names 'peptides' in general as prohibited in class S0, though its summary does not mention CJC-1295 by name.17

Is CJC-1295 the same as HGH?

No. HGH (somatropin) is growth hormone itself, while CJC-1295 is a GHRH analog that signals the pituitary to release more of its own growth hormone.1 It therefore depends on a working pituitary: FDA states that patients with complete growth hormone deficiency will not respond to secretagogues such as CJC-1295.18 FDA has no data suggesting it would avoid the risks listed on approved growth hormone labels.19 More on growth hormone: What is HGH?

Can CJC-1295 be detected in a drug test?

FDA's review notes a published laboratory method that measures CJC-1295 DAC in blood and urine.10 In 2009, a Norwegian doping control laboratory analyzed a seized product and identified a 29-amino-acid peptide matching CJC-1295, a form without the DAC.2016 CJC-1295 is on the WADA Prohibited List.11 The sources reviewed do not cover standard workplace drug tests.

Is CJC-1295 legal in Canada?

Health Canada's public advisory of April 9, 2026 lists CJC-1295 among unauthorized injectable peptide drugs it has seized. It says unauthorized drug products are illegal in Canada, that peptides there are generally regulated as prescription drugs, and that 'For Research Use Only, Not for Human Consumption' labelling does not make such products legal or exempt from the rules.21

Written by D2C Peptides Editorial Team.

Pending qualified review.

Updated .

Sources

  1. FDA Briefing Document, PCAC December 4, 2024, CJC-1295 evaluation (PDF page 29, general pharmacology). U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, 2024.
  2. Human growth hormone-releasing factor (hGRF)1-29-albumin bioconjugates activate the GRF receptor on the anterior pituitary in rats: identification of CJC-1295 as a long-lasting GRF analog (Jette L et al., ConjuChem), PubMed PMID 15817669. Endocrinology (abstract via NCBI PubMed E-utilities), 2005.
  3. Prolonged stimulation of growth hormone (GH) and insulin-like growth factor I secretion by CJC-1295, a long-acting analog of GH-releasing hormone, in healthy adults (Teichman SL et al.), PubMed PMID 16352683. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism (abstract via NCBI PubMed E-utilities), 2006.
  4. FDA Briefing Document, Pharmacy Compounding Advisory Committee meeting of December 4, 2024: FDA Evaluation of CJC-1295-related bulk drug substances (PDF page 7, Introduction). U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, 2024.
  5. PubChem compound record CID 91971820 (Cjc 1295). PubChem, National Library of Medicine (NIH), 2026.
  6. FDA Briefing Document, PCAC December 4, 2024, CJC-1295 evaluation (PDF page 45, approved GH secretagogues). U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, 2024.
  7. FDA Briefing Document, PCAC December 4, 2024, CJC-1295 evaluation (PDF page 10, naming and identity). U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, 2024.
  8. FDA Briefing Document, PCAC December 4, 2024, CJC-1295 evaluation (PDF page 40, adverse event reports and phase 2 trial). U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, 2024.
  9. FDA Briefing Document, PCAC December 4, 2024, CJC-1295 evaluation (PDF page 19, CJC-1295 DAC properties and conclusions). U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, 2024.
  10. FDA Briefing Document, PCAC December 4, 2024, CJC-1295 evaluation (PDF page 28, other countries and nonclinical studies). U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, 2024.
  11. Tractatenblad 2026, 25: Anti-Doping Convention (ETS No. 135), amendment to the appendix: The 2026 Prohibited List, World Anti-Doping Code. Kingdom of the Netherlands, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (official publication of the WADA 2026 Prohibited List), 2026.
  12. FDA Briefing Document, PCAC December 4, 2024, CJC-1295 evaluation (PDF page 23, history of use and development). U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, 2024.
  13. Transcript, FDA Pharmacy Compounding Advisory Committee meeting, December 4, 2024, CJC-1295 topic (Question 1D vote on CJC-1295 DAC free base, pages 130 to 131; separate votes on the other forms follow). U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 2024.
  14. Warning Letter: Royal Peptides LLC, August 24, 2026 (footnote 1). U.S. Food and Drug Administration, CDER Office of Unapproved Drugs and Labeling Compliance, 2026.
  15. Warning Letter: Tailor Made Compounding LLC, MARCS-CMS 594743, April 1, 2020. U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 2020.
  16. FDA Briefing Document, PCAC December 4, 2024, CJC-1295 evaluation (PDF page 24, compounding history and human use). U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, 2024.
  17. Athlete Advisory: What's New on the 2027 WADA Prohibited List? U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), 2026.
  18. FDA Briefing Document, PCAC December 4, 2024, CJC-1295 evaluation (PDF page 50, effectiveness). U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, 2024.
  19. FDA Briefing Document, PCAC December 4, 2024, CJC-1295 evaluation (PDF page 42, Ionescu adverse events and GH-related risks). U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, 2024.
  20. Identification of CJC-1295, a growth-hormone-releasing peptide, in an unknown pharmaceutical preparation (Henninge J et al.), PubMed PMID 21204297. Drug Testing and Analysis (abstract via NCBI PubMed E-utilities), 2010.
  21. Think twice before injecting peptides bought online: unauthorized products can seriously harm you (public advisory RA-81874, April 9, 2026). Health Canada, Government of Canada, 2026.
  22. FDA Briefing Document, PCAC December 4, 2024, CJC-1295 evaluation (PDF page 31, DAC caveats and pharmacokinetics). U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, 2024.
  23. FDA Briefing Document, PCAC December 4, 2024, CJC-1295 evaluation (PDF page 46, human safety conclusions). U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, 2024.
  24. Pulsatile secretion of growth hormone (GH) persists during continuous stimulation by CJC-1295, a long-acting GH-releasing hormone analog (Ionescu M, Frohman LA), PubMed PMID 17018654. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism (abstract via NCBI PubMed E-utilities), 2006.
  25. Injectable Peptides in Sports Medicine: A Structured Narrative Review of Evidence, Safety, and Antidoping Implications (Villegas Meza AD et al.), PubMed PMID 42160466. JBJS Reviews (abstract via NCBI PubMed E-utilities), 2026.
  26. FDA Briefing Document, PCAC December 4, 2024, CJC-1295 evaluation (PDF page 25, claims made on websites). U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, 2024.
  27. FDA Briefing Document, PCAC December 4, 2024, CJC-1295 evaluation (PDF page 12, CJC-1295 free base chemistry and peptide stability). U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, 2024.
  28. FDA Briefing Document, PCAC December 4, 2024, CJC-1295 evaluation (PDF page 41, adverse events in Teichman 2006). U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, 2024.
  29. FDA Briefing Document, PCAC December 4, 2024, CJC-1295 evaluation (PDF page 54, conclusion and recommendation). U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, 2024.
  30. Transcript, FDA Pharmacy Compounding Advisory Committee meeting, December 4, 2024, CJC-1295 topic (FDA presentation, page 84). U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 2024.
  31. FDA Briefing Document, PCAC December 4, 2024, CJC-1295 evaluation (PDF page 38, Teichman 2006 study details). U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, 2024.
  32. FDA Briefing Document, PCAC December 4, 2024, CJC-1295 evaluation (PDF page 17, CJC-1295 DAC stability). U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, 2024.
  33. Certain Bulk Drug Substances for Use in Compounding that May Present Significant Safety Risks (content current as of 04/22/2026). U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 2026.
  34. NCT00267527: A Study to Evaluate CJC 1295 in HIV Patients With Visceral Obesity (ConjuChem), ClinicalTrials.gov record. ClinicalTrials.gov, U.S. National Library of Medicine, 2006.
  35. EGRIFTA WR (tesamorelin) for injection, prescribing information (revised March 2025). U.S. Food and Drug Administration (Drugs@FDA); Theratechnologies Inc., 2025.
  36. Ipamorelin, the first selective growth hormone secretagogue (Raun K et al.), PubMed PMID 9849822. European Journal of Endocrinology (abstract via NCBI PubMed E-utilities), 1998.
  37. FDA Briefing Document, PCAC December 4, 2024, CJC-1295 evaluation (PDF page 26, combination with ipamorelin). U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, 2024.
  38. FDA Briefing Document, PCAC December 4, 2024, CJC-1295 evaluation (PDF page 39, Ionescu and Frohman 2006 details). U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, 2024.