Theoretical · Grade C
CJC-1295 DAC
CJC-1295 With DAC (Drug Affinity Complex)
Score
62 / 100
Half-life
~6–8 days
Class
Long-acting GHRH analog
Status
Investigational
TL;DR
01
A long-acting GHRH analog engineered with a Drug Affinity Complex (DAC) that binds albumin, extending its half-life to roughly 6–8 days so a single injection raises GH and IGF-1 for over a week.
02
The only human study is a small healthy-volunteer pharmacokinetic trial (2005) showing sustained GH/IGF-1 rises; there are no efficacy or clinical-outcome trials.
03
That week-long, non-pulsatile elevation is the key concern: natural GH is released in pulses, and continuous elevation is a different — and less-studied — physiologic state.
04
It is not approved anywhere and is sold as a research chemical or compounded product, with no guarantee of purity or dose.
05
Sustained IGF-1 elevation carries glucose-intolerance and theoretical mitogenic (cancer-promotion) cautions, with no long-term human safety data.
Human efficacy RCTs
None
PK/PD study only
GH increase (healthy)
2–10×
JCEM 2005 · dose-dependent
IGF-1 elevation
1.5–3×
for 9–11 days · JCEM 2005
Half-life
5.8–8.1 days
JCEM 2005
GH pattern
Non-pulsatile
sustained, unlike physiology
Part 01 · How it works
Mechanism.
CJC-1295 with DAC is a GHRH analog with a chemical 'hook' that latches onto albumin in the blood, so instead of being cleared in minutes it circulates for days. That keeps growth hormone and IGF-1 elevated continuously for more than a week per dose. The appeal is convenience and a big IGF-1 rise; the concern is that the body normally releases GH in short pulses, and holding it high around the clock is a different physiologic state that hasn't been studied for safety or benefit in real outcomes.
Where natural growth hormone comes in rhythmic pulses, the DAC version holds the accelerator down for a week at a time — convenient, but a pattern the body doesn't normally run.
GHRH-receptor agonism
Agonist at the pituitary GHRH receptor (modified GHRH(1-29) backbone).
DAC / albumin binding
A maleimidopropionic-acid linker binds serum albumin covalently, extending half-life to ~5.8–8.1 days.
Sustained IGF-1
Single doses raised GH 2–10× and IGF-1 1.5–3× for 9–11 days in healthy adults.
Non-pulsatile concern
Continuous elevation diverges from physiologic pulsatile GH secretion — the central mechanistic caution.
Part 02 · Dosing & administration
How it's taken.
Community-reported · unregulatedValues below reflect commonly reported community protocols for CJC-1295 DAC. These are anecdotal and unregulated — not clinically validated and not a recommendation. Provided for educational purposes only — this is not medical advice and not instructions for self-administration. Consult your healthcare provider before making any health decision.
Standard dose
1-2 mg per week
Subcutaneous injection · 1–2x weekly (PM)
Duration
8–12 week cycle (community 8-on/8-off)
·
Weekly interval is justified by a human PK RCT: a single SC dose raised GH 2–10x for 6+ days and IGF-1 for 9–11 days, estimated half-life ~6–8 days (Teichman 2006).
·
DAC produces sustained, non-pulsatile GH elevation (a "GH bleed"); adverse effects also persist for days after one dose.
·
The specific mg/week figure is a community convention, not FDA labeling; the trial dosed by weight (30–60 mcg/kg was best tolerated).
Need help with reconstitution?
Use the free peptide calculator for dilution, unit conversion, and injection volume.
Part 03 · Safety
Side effects, rare serious events, who shouldn't.
Common
Injection-site reactions
From the PK study and anecdotal use.
Reported
Flushing / headache
Transient.
Reported
Water retention / tingling
GH-axis effects with sustained elevation.
Possible
Serious · rare
Sustained IGF-1 elevation
Non-pulsatile week-long elevation; insulin-resistance and mitogenic cautions apply, unstudied long-term.
Expected
Glucose intolerance
GH promotes insulin resistance; unquantified for chronic CJC-1295 use.
Theoretical
Product-quality risk
Research-chemical/compounded supply may not match labeled purity or dose.
Source-dependent
Absolute · do not use
×
Active malignancy or history of cancer
×
Pituitary tumor or hypothalamic disorders
×
Diabetic retinopathy
×
Pregnancy or breastfeeding
×
Children under 18 (unless for diagnosed GH deficiency under specialist care)
×
Known hypersensitivity to CJC-1295 or any component
Relative · discuss first
!
Active or prior malignancy — sustained IGF-1 elevation mitogenic caution
!
Pregnancy or breastfeeding — no data
!
Diabetes or impaired glucose tolerance — theoretical worsening with chronic elevation
!
Anyone wanting physiologic GH patterns — the DAC design is deliberately non-pulsatile
Interactions
Insulin
GH secretagogues can increase insulin resistance; may require insulin dose adjustment
Major
Oral hypoglycemics
GH elevation may counteract glucose-lowering effects; monitor blood glucose
Moderate
Corticosteroids
Chronic corticosteroid use blunts GH release and may reduce CJC-1295 efficacy
Moderate
Thyroid hormone replacement
GH can increase T4 to T3 conversion; thyroid levels may need reassessment
Moderate
Labs to monitor
IGF-1
Baseline, 4 weeks, then every 3 months
Monitor growth hormone axis stimulation
Fasting Glucose & Insulin
Baseline and monthly
GH elevation can impair insulin sensitivity
CMP (Comprehensive Metabolic Panel)
Baseline and every 3 months
Liver and kidney function
Thyroid Panel (TSH, Free T4)
Baseline and every 3 months
GH axis can affect thyroid function
HbA1c
Baseline and every 3 months
Track glucose over time with GH stimulation
Part 04 · Evidence
How strong is the evidence?
62
Grade C
Grade C, downgraded from the library's earlier 'Emerging' rating. There is exactly one small human study — a pharmacokinetic trial — and no efficacy or outcome data. The week-long non-pulsatile IGF-1 elevation is both the selling point and the least-studied risk.
Mechanistic plausibility
Albumin-binding half-life extension is well characterized; the GH/IGF-1 rise is real.
78
Human evidence
A single healthy-volunteer PK/PD study; no efficacy, body-composition, or outcome trials.
48
Safety & tolerability
No serious events in the small PK study, but sustained non-pulsatile IGF-1 elevation is a real, unstudied long-term concern.
55
Durability
Long dosing interval, but no outcome data to judge durable benefit.
55
Independence
The PK study is published and independent-ish, but the marketed use rests on extrapolation.
60
Part 05 · Research log
Every study we cite.
We list each study with its methodology, funding source, and our quality grade. Flagged studies aren't dismissed — they're tagged so you can weigh them.
01
2005
J Clin Endocrinol Metab Flagged
Prolonged GH/IGF-1 stimulation by CJC-1295 in healthy adults
Single doses raised GH 2–10× for ≥6 days and IGF-1 1.5–3× for 9–11 days; half-life 5.8–8.1 days; no serious adverse reactions in this small healthy-volunteer study.
Two randomized, placebo-controlled ascending-dose trials (28 and 49 days) · Pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic endpoints only — establishes exposure, not clinical benefit.
PMID 16352683 ↗
Moderate
Evidence against
What didn't work, and where the evidence is thin.
Every publication is incentivized to tell you a peptide works. We catalogue the null results, failed trials, and mechanism limits we found in the same literature — so you can weigh them against the upside, with your provider.
01
One small PK study — no efficacy or outcome evidence
Mechanism limit JCEM · 2005
The entire human evidence base is a single healthy-volunteer pharmacokinetic trial. It shows the drug raises GH and IGF-1 — not that this improves body composition, performance, or any clinical outcome.
What this means: Demonstrating a hormone rise is not demonstrating benefit. There is no controlled evidence that CJC-1295 does what it is marketed to do.
PMID 16352683 ↗
02
Sustained, non-pulsatile IGF-1 elevation is an unstudied risk
Safety signal JCEM · 2005
The DAC design holds GH and IGF-1 elevated continuously for over a week, unlike the body's natural pulsatile release. Chronic IGF-1 elevation is associated with insulin resistance and is theoretically mitogenic; long-term human safety has never been studied.
What this means: The very feature that makes it convenient — week-long elevation — is the one with the least safety data. This is a mechanism-level caution, not a hypothetical quibble.
PMID 16352683 ↗
Part 06 · Cost & access
Where it's available, at what price.
United States
Not approved
No approved product; sold as a research chemical or compounded. No legal consumer medicine.
Grey-market/compounded; unregulated
European Union
Not approved
No approved product.
N/A
United Kingdom
Not approved
No approved product.
N/A
Canada
Not approved
No approved product.
N/A
The Peptide Column takes no affiliate commission from any source. CJC-1295 is not approved as a medicine anywhere; material sold to individuals is research-grade or compounded and unregulated for human use, and its marketed benefits are unproven. We link only to clinician-directed care, never to sellers.
Part 07 · Your appointment
Questions to bring.
01
Is continuous GH stimulation (DAC version) safer or riskier than pulsatile stimulation (no-DAC version)?
02
What happened in the clinical development of CJC-1295 DAC, and why was it discontinued?
03
How does sustained IGF-1 elevation affect cancer risk compared to natural GH pulsatility?
04
Should I choose the DAC or no-DAC version, and what are the trade-offs?
References
Every citation, numbered.
Citation list. For our editorial read of each study — including bias flags and quality grades — see the Research log above.
- 01. Prolonged GH/IGF-1 stimulation by CJC-1295 in healthy adults · J Clin Endocrinol Metab, 2005 · PMID 16352683 ↗
- 02. ClinicalTrials.gov era PK data. Teichman et al. CJC-1295 ascending-dose study