Informational only. Not medical advice.INFORMATIONAL PLATFORM ONLY — NOT MEDICAL ADVICE, DIAGNOSIS, OR TREATMENT
Informational only. Not medical advice.INFORMATIONAL PLATFORM ONLY — NOT MEDICAL ADVICE, DIAGNOSIS, OR TREATMENT
Head-to-head comparison of CJC-1295 (no DAC) and Ipamorelin — mechanism, side effects, legal status, and pricing.
CJC-1295 without Drug Affinity Complex (no DAC), also known as Modified GRF(1-29), is a synthetic analog of the first 29 amino acids of growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH). Four amino acid substitutions at positions 2, 8, 15, and 27 confer resistance to DPP-IV enzymatic degradation while maintaining GHRH-receptor binding activity. Unlike the DAC-conjugated variant (half-life 6–8 days via albumin binding), the no-DAC form has a short half-life of approximately 30 minutes, producing brief, pulsatile bursts of GH secretion. Not FDA-approved in any form.
Ipamorelin is a synthetic pentapeptide (Aib-His-D-2-Nal-D-Phe-Lys-NH2) originally developed by Novo Nordisk and later advanced by Helsinn/Nycomed. It is a selective ghrelin receptor agonist / growth hormone secretagogue (GHRP). Its defining feature versus older GHRPs (GHRP-2, GHRP-6, hexarelin) is that in preclinical and early clinical studies it raised GH without meaningfully increasing ACTH, cortisol, or prolactin. It is not FDA-approved for any indication; a Phase 2 trial for postoperative ileus failed to meet its primary endpoint and clinical development was discontinued. In the wellness/grey market it is sold as a research chemical and used off-label for anti-aging and body-composition goals despite no clinically validated human dose for those uses.
CJC-1295 (no DAC)
Ipamorelin
Category
Legal Status
Mechanism
Half-life
COA-verified vendors · trust score ≥70 required · single-vial price — bulk/bundle deals may be lower
CJC-1295 (no DAC)
Ipamorelin
COA corpus from Disclosed Labs — independently tested batches only.
CJC-1295 (no DAC)
2
COAs
99.4%
Avg purity
2
Labs
Ipamorelin
153
COAs
99.7%
Avg purity
17
Labs
Ipamorelin is among peptides under FDA review for the Category 1 (503A) list; if added, it would require a prescription to be compounded by registered 503A/503B pharmacies — not yet authorized. CJC-1295 (no DAC) remains research-only. In April 2026 the FDA removed 12 peptides from Category 2, which does not place them on the Category 1 list or authorize compounding. The FDA's Pharmacy Compounding Advisory Committee is advisory and meets July 23–24, 2026 to review nominations and make recommendations to the FDA.
The parent molecule CJC-1295 (DAC form) was identified by Jetté et al. (Endocrinology, 2005; PMID 15817669) at ConjuChem as a tetrasubstituted GHRH(1-29) bioconjugate that covalently binds Cys34 of serum albumin via a maleimidopropionyl-lysine linker, extending half-life to roughly 5.8–8.1 days. In healthy adults, Teichman et al. (JCEM, 2006; PMID 16352683) showed single SubQ doses of the DAC form produced 2- to 10-fold GH elevations for ≥6 days and 1.5- to 3-fold IGF-1 elevations for 9–11 days, and Ionescu & Frohman (JCEM, 2006; PMID 17018654) demonstrated that pulsatile GH secretion was preserved (7.5-fold increase in trough GH, IGF-1 up 45%). ConjuChem halted Phase 2 lipodystrophy development around 2006–2007 after a participant death in an HIV-visceral-adiposity trial (deemed by the trial physician most likely due to pre-existing coronary artery disease rather than CJC-1295, but the program was not resumed; aidsmap news, July 2006). The no-DAC form described here ('Modified GRF 1-29') shares the same position-2/8/15/27 substitutions (which confer DPP-IV resistance; see Soule et al., JCEM 1994, PMID 7962295 for the foundational D-Ala2 half-life work) but omits the albumin-linker lysine, giving a short (~30 min) half-life similar to sermorelin. No form of CJC-1295 is FDA-approved for any indication. Grey-market compounding practice pairs the no-DAC form with ipamorelin; this combination is not clinically validated for anti-aging, body composition, or performance use, and peer-reviewed human trials of the no-DAC variant specifically are lacking — the 100–300 mcg dosing range reflects community practice, not clinical evidence.
Key references
CJC-1295 (no DAC) and Ipamorelin are both in the Performance category and may have overlapping mechanisms. Researchers should review both profiles carefully, understand the mechanisms of action, and monitor the relevant biomarkers when combining compounds in the same class. As always, consult a licensed healthcare provider before making any decisions about combining research compounds.
This platform provides informational tools only, not medical advice. This comparison is for educational purposes only. Consult a licensed provider.
Side Effects
Contraindications
Lab Testing
The seminal preclinical characterization (Raun et al., 1998, PMID 9849822) established ipamorelin as the first GHRP-receptor agonist with GH-release selectivity comparable to GHRH, without raising ACTH or cortisol even at doses more than 200-fold above the ED50. Pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic modeling in healthy male volunteers (Gobburu et al., 1999, PMID 10496658) confirmed a roughly 2-hour half-life and dose-dependent GH response following IV infusion. The most advanced human study is Beck et al. (2014, PMID 25331030), a Phase 2, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in 114 patients after bowel resection evaluating IV ipamorelin 0.03 mg/kg twice daily for postoperative ileus; the drug was well tolerated but did not separate from placebo on the primary endpoint (time to tolerance of solid food), and the sponsor (Helsinn/Nycomed) discontinued development. There are no completed registrational trials in adult GH deficiency, frailty, or body-composition indications. Ipamorelin is not FDA-approved for any indication. The 100–300 mcg dose range reflects community/compounding practice and is not clinically validated for anti-aging or body-composition use.
Key references
Disclosed Labs