CJC-1295 Reference

GHRH analog · Research compound

ClassGHRH analog
StatusResearch compound
Typical vials2 mg, 5 mg, 10 mg
Dose range100 mcg to 300 mcg
Frequency1 to 3 times daily (no DAC)
Half-lifeNo human data
Dosing unitmicrograms
RouteSubcutaneous injection

What CJC-1295 is

CJC-1295 is a stabilized analog of growth-hormone-releasing hormone, and the name is used loosely for two distinct compounds. Without DAC (properly Mod GRF 1-29) it produces a short, sharp GHRH pulse and is dosed like a secretagogue, one to three times daily. With DAC it binds albumin and elevates GH baseline for a week per injection, a different physiological effect (sustained elevation rather than pulses) with different tradeoffs.

The community default is no-DAC paired with ipamorelin in the same syringe, on the logic that a GHRH analog plus a GHRP amplify the same pulse through complementary receptors. Check which version a vendor vial actually is before doing any math; the dosing differs by an order of magnitude.

What we do not know

  • The published human data is for CJC-1295 WITH DAC. Most material sold as CJC-1295 is the no-DAC form, whose human evidence is far thinner.
  • Phase 1 work showed it raises GH and IGF-1. No trial has tested whether that produces any clinical outcome.
  • Not approved anywhere.

Reconstitution math

Concentration is everything: the same 5 mg vial gives a different draw for every amount of bacteriostatic water you add. The table uses the common 2 mL setup for each vial size, which puts every unit on a U-100 insulin syringe at 25 mcg for the default vial. Dashes mark draws too small to measure or larger than the syringe.

VialBAC waterConcentration100 mcg200 mcg300 mcg
2 mg2 mL1 mg/mL10 u20 u30 u
5 mg2 mL2.5 mg/mL4 u8 u12 u
10 mg2 mL5 mg/mL2 u4 u6 u
CJC-1295 syringe drawsDRAW GUIDEEach dose as a filled syringe5 mg vial + 2 mL bacteriostatic water = 250 mcg per 0.1 mL (10 units).02468101214161820units on a U-100 insulin syringe (first 20 units shown)100 mcg4 u (0.04 mL)200 mcg8 u (0.08 mL)300 mcg12 u (0.12 mL)peprecon.com
Draw positions for the common doses at the default setup.

Dosing and protocol

Community protocol (no DAC): 100 mcg 1 to 3 times daily, almost always paired with ipamorelin; DAC version: about 2 mg once weekly.

For the no-DAC version, community protocols run 100 mcg per injection, one to three times daily, commonly at night. On a 5 mg vial with 2 mL of water, 100 mcg is 4 units. The DAC version is dosed around 2 mg once weekly. The blend calculator handles the combined CJC + ipamorelin draw.

Pharmacokinetics

No curve is shown, on purpose.

The name covers two different molecules. CJC-1295 with DAC has real human pharmacokinetics: a 6 to 8 day half-life from albumin binding (Teichman 2006). The no-DAC version (Mod GRF 1-29), which is what most community protocols mean, has no formal human PK and is expected to clear in well under an hour like other GRF analogs. Plotting either number on a page that covers both would mislead, so neither is plotted.

How it is thought to work

A GHRH analog. The commonly sold version lacks the DAC (drug affinity complex) modification of the compound that was actually trialed, which changes the half-life by orders of magnitude. The two are routinely conflated when sold.

How CJC-1295 is thought to workMECHANISMCJC-1295: the proposed chainA proposed pathway. The last step is the one that needs evidence in people.1Subcutaneous injectionThe version usually sold lacks the DAC modification of the compound that wastrialed, which changes the half-life by orders of magnitude.2GHRH receptorThe same target as tesamorelin.3Raised GH and IGF-14Claimed body composition benefitSTRONGEST PUBLISHED EVIDENCE FOR ANY CLAIMED OUTCOMEHuman RCTOutcome by outcome, see the table below.peprecon.com

What the evidence supports

This table grades how well each outcome has been studied in humans, not how well CJC-1295 works. A strong grade means the question was asked properly, and the answer may still have been negative. Nothing here is inherited from a drug class, a close analog, or the parent molecule of a fragment.

OutcomeStrongest published evidence
Raises GH and IGF-1 (with DAC)Human RCT
Body composition changeNo data
Sleep qualityNo data
Human RCTAt least one randomized controlled trial in people reports this outcome. The result may still have been negative.
No dataNo published evidence at any level that we could find.

Storage and handling

Lyophilized vials keep best cold, dark, and dry; refrigeration is the community default and freezing lyophilized powder is common for long holds. After reconstitution, refrigerate at 2 to 8 C, do not freeze the solution, and date the vial. Bacteriostatic water's preservative keeps multi-dose use practical for about 28 days by USP convention, though our 120-day stability study found the preservative itself outlasts that window.

Got a certificate of analysis with your vial? Run it through our COA Reader: it reads the report in plain English, checks purity and mass against the label claim, and links the testing lab’s own verification page. Our guide to reading a COA explains what the numbers do and do not tell you.

Sources

  1. Teichman et al., Prolonged stimulation of GH and IGF-1 secretion by CJC-1295, J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2006
  2. Ionescu and Frohman, Pulsatile GH secretion with continuous GHRH analog administration, J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2006

Related references: Ipamorelin · Tesamorelin · HGH (Somatropin)