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 and CJC-1295 (no DAC) — mechanism, side effects, legal status, and pricing.
CJC-1295 is a synthetic tetrasubstituted analog of growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH 1-29) originally developed by ConjuChem. The name historically refers to the DAC-modified (Drug Affinity Complex) form that covalently binds serum albumin, producing a 6–8 day half-life; a separate no-DAC form (also called Modified GRF 1-29) shares the same tetrasubstituted backbone but lacks the albumin-linking maleimidopropionyl-lysine and has a half-life of roughly 30 minutes. Not FDA-approved in any form; ConjuChem halted Phase 2 development around 2007 after a patient death in an HIV-lipodystrophy trial (ultimately judged by investigators to be unrelated to the drug, but development was terminated regardless).
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.
CJC-1295
CJC-1295 (no DAC)
Category
Legal Status
Mechanism
Half-life
Side Effects
COA-verified vendors · trust score ≥70 required · single-vial price — bulk/bundle deals may be lower
CJC-1295
CJC-1295 (no DAC)
COA corpus from Disclosed Labs — independently tested batches only.
CJC-1295
115
COAs
98.8%
Avg purity
12
Labs
CJC-1295 (no DAC)
2
COAs
99.4%
Avg purity
2
Labs
CJC-1295 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.
In healthy adults, single SubQ doses of CJC-1295 (with DAC) elevated plasma GH 2- to 10-fold for ≥6 days and IGF-1 1.5- to 3-fold for 9–11 days (Teichman et al., JCEM 2006), and pulsatile GH secretion was preserved rather than suppressed during continuous stimulation (Ionescu & Frohman, JCEM 2006). Despite these Phase 1/2 findings, ConjuChem halted Phase 2 lipodystrophy development in 2006–2007 after a trial participant died of a myocardial infarction; the event was deemed most likely due to pre-existing coronary disease, but the program was not resumed. No CJC-1295 form is FDA-approved for any indication. Grey-market use almost always refers to the no-DAC / Modified GRF 1-29 form, often stacked with ipamorelin; neither variant is clinically validated for anti-aging, body composition, or performance indications.
Key references
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.
CJC-1295 and CJC-1295 (no DAC) 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.
Contraindications
Lab Testing
Key references
Disclosed Labs