CJC-1295
Long-acting GHRH analogue (research peptide)
Status
Not approved
Never approved anywhere; FDA placed it in 503A Category 2 (significant safety risks) in 2023, and after the nomination was withdrawn FDA's compounding advisory committee voted in December 2024 against adding any CJC-1295 form to the 503A bulks list (13-0 for most forms), leaving no approved or compounding-eligible US source.
Evidence
Preliminary
Only small, short pharmacokinetic studies in healthy adults have been published; the one patient trial was stopped and never reported.
In sport
WADAProhibited (WADA)
CJC-1295 is a lab-made, long-acting version of growth hormone-releasing hormone designed to latch onto albumin in the blood so it lasts for days. It was tested briefly in the 2000s, never approved, and is sold online as a research chemical.
Structure
30 residues- aK30Drug affinity complex (DAC): 3-maleimidopropionyl (MPA) group on the lysine side chain, which bonds to albumin
Point at a bead, or focus the chain and use the arrow keys, to name it. Pick a chemistry to highlight it.
D-form (mirror image), shown in lower case
Sequence as text
H-Y-D-Ala-D-A-I-F-T-Q-S-Y-R-K-V-L-A-Q-L-S-A-R-K-L-L-Q-D-I-L-S-R-K-NH2
What it is used for
- Growth hormone deficiency and HIV-associated fat accumulation, the original development targets (studied)
- Raising growth hormone and IGF-1 for muscle, fat loss, recovery or anti-ageing (claimed, unproven)
How it works
CJC-1295 is a GHRH fragment with four amino-acid substitutions intended to improve stability, plus a lysine carrying a reactive maleimide group (the drug affinity complex). After injection this group bonds to albumin, the main blood protein, creating a long-lived reservoir that keeps stimulating pituitary GHRH receptors. In healthy adults, natural growth hormone pulses were preserved, but baseline (trough) growth hormone rose sharply, lifting IGF-1 for more than a week after a single dose.
How strong the evidence is
Preliminary
Two randomized, placebo-controlled dose-escalation studies in healthy adults found that a single injection raised growth hormone 2- to 10-fold for 6 days or more and IGF-1 1.5- to 3-fold for 9 to 11 days, with an estimated half-life of 5.8 to 8.1 days (Teichman 2006). A small study showed growth hormone pulsatility was preserved while trough levels rose 7.5-fold (Ionescu 2006). A phase 2 trial in HIV lipodystrophy was stopped in 2006 after a participant died of a heart attack, judged most likely due to underlying coronary disease; results were never published (FDA 2024 review). No efficacy trial exists for any condition.
Risks and side effects
- Flushing, warmth and transient low blood pressure (vasodilatory reactions) and dose-related rise in heart rate in trials
- Immunogenicity (antibody) and impurity risks flagged by FDA, with confusion between DAC and non-DAC products
- Unknown long-term effects of persistently raised growth hormone and IGF-1
- Research-chemical products are unregulated and may not contain what the label says
- Prohibited in sport at all times (WADA S2)
Regulatory status
Status by country
| Jurisdiction | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|
| USUnited States | No authorised medicine | Source 2 |
| EUEuropean Union | No authorised medicine | Source 10 |
| UKUnited Kingdom | No authorised medicine | Source 11 |
| AUAustralia | No authorised medicine | Source 12 |
| CACanada | No authorised medicine | Source 13 |
Timeline
2026
- ResearchReview of 565 studies finds little human evidence for popular injectable peptides
- RegulatoryAustralian regulator seizes illegal peptides allegedly sold by a social media influencer
- SafetyAustralia's TGA warns of severe reactions to unapproved injectable peptides
- SafetyHealth Canada warns against injecting peptides bought online and names seized products
Sources
- 01CJC-1295 (CID 91971820)(opens the source in a new tab)
- 02FDA Briefing Document: CJC-1295 related bulk drug substances, Pharmacy Compounding Advisory Committee, December 4, 2024(opens the source in a new tab)
- 03Pharmacy Compounding Advisory Committee meeting, December 4, 2024: minutes(opens the source in a new tab)
- 04Safety Risks Associated with Certain Bulk Drug Substances Nominated for Use in Compounding (Category 2)(opens the source in a new tab)
- 05Prolonged 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(opens the source in a new tab)
- 06Pulsatile secretion of growth hormone (GH) persists during continuous stimulation by CJC-1295, a long-acting GH-releasing hormone analog(opens the source in a new tab)
- 07An FDA reversal on peptides could open the market to unsafe drugs(opens the source in a new tab)
- 08Human 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(opens the source in a new tab)
- 09World Anti-Doping Code International Standard: Prohibited List 2026(opens the source in a new tab)
- 10Find medicine: centrally authorised medicines(opens the source in a new tab)
- 11MHRA Products: active substances beginning with C(opens the source in a new tab)
- 12Understanding your responsibilities when importing, compounding and supplying unapproved peptide products(opens the source in a new tab)
- 13Think twice before injecting peptides bought online: unauthorized products can seriously harm you(opens the source in a new tab)
Educational information, not medical advice. Talk to a licensed clinician before starting, stopping or changing any medicine.