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CJC-1295
It reliably raises growth hormone and IGF-1 for days after a single dose, in the small number of people who've actually been studied. That's a real, human-confirmed mechanism — it is not evidence it builds muscle, burns fat, or is safe for repeated real-world use, and FDA's own advisory committee has now formally voted against it.
In brief
Should you care? Yes — this is a case with a real, human-confirmed mechanism and zero clinical outcome evidence, which is a genuinely different (and more specific) gap than "nobody has looked at this at all."The short version
- Real human pharmacodynamic data exists — a single dose raises GH/IGF-1 for days, not minutes.
- No efficacy or safety trial has followed in the two decades since.
- FDA's advisory committee voted against it for compounding eligibility in late 2024.
What it is
CJC-1295 is a synthetic analog of the first 29 amino acids of growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH), chemically modified to extend its half-life. The "DAC" version binds serum albumin for an even longer duration than the "no-DAC" version (often sold separately as Mod GRF 1-29).
What the evidence shows
A 2006 human trial in healthy adults found a single dose of CJC-1295 raised growth hormone and IGF-1 levels for days rather than the minutes typical of natural GHRH pulses (Teichman et al., J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2006, PMID 16352683). That is a real finding in real people. No efficacy or clinical-outcome trial — body composition, strength, or any of the uses it's actually marketed for — has been published since.
Regulatory status
CJC-1295 has never been approved anywhere as a medicine. FDA's Pharmacy Compounding Advisory Committee reviewed it at its 4 December 2024 meeting (FDA briefing materials, fda.gov/media/183819) and voted against including it on the 503A bulks list — a formal rejection of Category 1 compounding eligibility, not merely an unresolved review.
A real mechanism is not the same as a tested outcome
The 2006 trial confirms CJC-1295 does something measurable to GH/IGF-1 levels. It does not tell you what, if anything, that does for the outcomes it's sold on.
Safety notes
The DAC (albumin-bound) form in particular raises a distinct concern: circulating GHRH activity for days at a time is not how the body normally regulates growth hormone release, and antibody-formation and impurity concerns were part of what FDA's advisory committee weighed. It is listed under WADA's S2 GHRH-analogue category, prohibited in and out of competition.
References
- Teichman et al., "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," J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2006;91(3):799-805, PMID 16352683.
- FDA, Pharmacy Compounding Advisory Committee briefing materials and meeting outcome, 4 December 2024 (fda.gov/media/183819); committee voted against CJC-1295's inclusion on the 503A bulks list.