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Side effects

CJC-1295 with DAC side effects

In small studies of healthy adults, the most frequent side effects of CJC-1295 with DAC were injection-site reactions, headache, diarrhea and flushing.1 After one dose, 94% of people on the drug reported at least one adverse event, against 29% on placebo.2 A participant in a halted patient trial died of a heart attack.3

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How often each side effect was reported

These figures come from two placebo-controlled trials in healthy adults, one with 42 people given a single dose and one with 24 people given repeated doses, and from a study of 12 healthy men.21819 The list runs from most to least common.17

Side effect How often Study
Injection-site reactions: irritation, redness, hardening, pain or itching About 70% after one dose, rare on placebo; every participant given repeated doses14 Single-dose and repeated-dose trials
Headache 63% on the drug vs 14% on placebo; 20% to 80% by dose group vs 50% on placebo1 Single-dose; repeated-dose
Diarrhea or loose stools 43% on the drug, none on placebo; 45% at 125 mcg/kg and 100% at 250 mcg/kg1 Single-dose
Flushing, warmth and brief low blood pressure 30%; flushing alone 40% after low doses and 100% after high doses1 Single-dose; repeated-dose
Short-lived hive-like (urticarial) rash where it was injected, not related to dose Almost 30%1 Single-dose
Nausea or abdominal pain 20%, on the drug only1 Repeated-dose
Brief dizziness with low blood pressure after a first injection, which did not recur 2 people1 Repeated-dose
Brief involuntary leg muscle contractions and some loss of coordination after a second injection 1 person1 Repeated-dose
Faster heart rate, rising with dose, and brief redness and tenderness at the injection site Not reported7 12 healthy men

Injection-site reactions tended to be more severe or to last longer at higher doses.1 In the repeated-dose trial, flushing occurred only on the drug, started within 30 minutes of an injection and cleared within 1 to 2 hours.1 The doses behind these figures are on the CJC-1295 with DAC dosage page.

Serious events

No serious adverse reactions were reported in the healthy-volunteer studies, and blood and urine tests, including glucose and liver tests, and ECGs showed no consistent changes.111 FDA nonetheless lists increased heart rate and systemic vasodilatory reactions among serious adverse events associated with CJC-1295.8 The one patient trial, in adults with HIV-associated abdominal fat, was terminated after a participant died of a heart attack, and FDA found no further information about the other participants or their adverse events.3

Real-world reports are scarce. FDA's search of its adverse event database (FAERS) through June 10, 2024 found only two CJC-1295 reports: one was excluded for insufficient information and the other reported no adverse event. A literature search through June 11, 2024 found no relevant US case reports.2

Warnings from FDA's review

  • Growth hormone and IGF-1 effects: approved growth hormone labels list an increased risk of tumors, glucose intolerance and diabetes, raised pressure inside the skull, fluid retention, low adrenal and thyroid function, and pancreatitis. FDA has no data suggesting CJC-1295 would avoid these risks.7
  • Immune reactions: injected peptides can trigger antibodies, and CJC-1295 shares 86% of its sequence with the body's own GHRH, so antibodies could cross-react with it. The original study found no significant antibody formation, but data on long-term, repeated exposure are lacking.12
  • Animal and cell findings: repeated daily injections under the skin caused bleeding, inflammation and tissue death at the injection site in rats and dogs, and the peptide produced DNA-damage (genotoxic) signals in mouse pituitary cells and in mice.6
  • Off-target binding: the reactive DAC group may bind cysteines in proteins other than albumin.13
  • People who may be at more risk: FDA says effects such as dizziness, low blood pressure, loss of coordination and a faster heart rate warrant further study, because they could change how people at risk of falls or with heart disease would need to be monitored.4
  • Wrong substance: FDA calls inconsistent naming of CJC-1295 substances a safety risk, because a patient may get a different substance than the one ordered.14 A product seized in Norway in 2009 and matching CJC-1295 held a 29-amino-acid peptide without the DAC.1520
  • Product quality: Health Canada warns that unauthorized injectable peptides may contain too much, too little or none of the active ingredient, unlisted ingredients, or contaminants such as bacteria, fungi and endotoxins, and may cause infections and allergic reactions.16

Limits of the safety data

The human safety record rests on 63 people who received the drug, 87% of them men, and 73% received only one dose.4 All were healthy adults in small, short studies.11 Side effects in people with illnesses, in children and over months or years of use have not been studied.4 A 2026 narrative review of injectable peptides in sports medicine describes the safety profiles of growth hormone secretagogues such as CJC-1295 as uncertain.17 General background on reading this kind of evidence is in Peptide safety basics.

Read the full CJC-1295 with DAC profile, what the studies found in CJC-1295 with DAC benefits and uses, and lab handling in How to reconstitute CJC-1295 with DAC. The research vial is listed as CJC-1295 with DAC for sale.

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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.

Frequently asked questions

Did someone die in a CJC-1295 trial?

Yes. In ConjuChem's phase 2 trial in people with HIV lipodystrophy, a participant reported chest discomfort 2 hours after an 11th weekly dose; an ECG confirmed an acute myocardial infarction (heart attack), and the participant died about an hour later.3 The attending physician's most likely explanation was asymptomatic coronary artery disease with plaque rupture and occlusion.34 The trial was terminated, ConjuChem withdrew CJC-1295 from clinical trials in 2006, and the data have not been published.35

Is CJC-1295 safe long term? Can it cause cancer?

Long-term safety in people is unknown, because the published studies were small and short and most participants received one dose.4 FDA found no carcinogenicity studies, notes DNA-damage signals in mouse pituitary cells and in mice, and says pituitary overgrowth and tumors with long-term use cannot be ruled out.6 Approved growth hormone labels warn of an increased risk of tumors, and FDA has no data showing CJC-1295 would avoid that risk.7

Does CJC-1295 cause a fast heart rate?

It was reported. In 12 healthy men given one injection, heart rate rose, and the rise was larger at higher doses.719 FDA lists increased heart rate, along with systemic vasodilatory reactions such as flushing and brief low blood pressure, among serious adverse events associated with CJC-1295.81 FDA also says effects such as dizziness, low blood pressure and a faster heart rate warrant further study, because they could change how people with heart disease or at risk of falls would need to be monitored.4

Has CJC-1295 been studied in women?

Barely. Of the 63 people given it in the published studies, 55 (87%) were men, and two of the three studies enrolled only men.4910 Effects and side effects in women are therefore largely unstudied, and FDA notes the safety profile may differ in other populations.4 There is also no safety information on use in children.11

Written by D2C Peptides Editorial Team.

Pending qualified review.

Updated .

Sources

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. Transcript, FDA Pharmacy Compounding Advisory Committee meeting, December 4, 2024, CJC-1295 topic (FDA presentation, page 84). U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 2024.
  4. 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.
  5. 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.
  6. FDA Briefing Document, PCAC December 4, 2024, CJC-1295 evaluation (PDF page 36, nonclinical toxicology conclusions). 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 42, Ionescu adverse events and GH-related risks). U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, 2024.
  8. 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.
  9. 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.
  10. Activation of the GH/IGF-1 axis by CJC-1295, a long-acting GHRH analog, results in serum protein profile changes in normal adult subjects (Sackmann-Sala L et al.), PubMed PMID 19386527. Growth Hormone and IGF Research (abstract via NCBI PubMed E-utilities), 2009.
  11. 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.
  12. FDA Briefing Document, PCAC December 4, 2024, CJC-1295 evaluation (PDF page 43, immunogenicity). U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, 2024.
  13. 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.
  14. 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.
  15. 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.
  16. 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.
  17. 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.
  18. 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.
  19. 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.
  20. 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.