CJC-1295 is a long-acting GHRH analog — here is what the published human pharmacokinetics actually establish.

What the published record establishes

CJC-1295 is a synthetic long-acting analog of growth-hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH). In healthy adults, single subcutaneous doses of 30 or 60 micrograms per kilogram raised mean plasma growth hormone 2- to 10-fold for six days or more and IGF-1 1.5- to 3-fold for nine to eleven days, with an estimated half-life of 5.8 to 8.1 days ^[1]. That is the load-bearing finding, and it is where this digest starts.

The molecule is built on hGRF(1-29), the first 29 amino acids of human growth-hormone-releasing factor, carrying four substitutions that block enzymatic breakdown. The long-acting CJC-1295 DAC variant adds a chemical handle that bonds covalently to circulating serum albumin, which is what stretches its half-life into the multi-day range ^[2]. The no-DAC form, Modified GRF (1-29), keeps the four substitutions but lacks that albumin handle and is short-acting — minutes to hours, not days ^[1].

That single distinction is the most conflated fact about this compound, so this site surfaces it first. The DAC vs no-DAC pharmacokinetics are pharmacokinetically opposite, yet forums and product pages routinely collapse them into one word.

What the literature does not contain matters as much as what it does. The published human research is limited to early pharmacokinetic studies. There are no large efficacy trials and no long-term safety trials in healthy adults. CJC-1295 is not approved for human use by the FDA or any major regulator, and it is prohibited at all times in sport under the World Anti-Doping Agency code ^[1].

CJC-1295 as a GHRH-Analog Peptide

As a peptide, CJC-1295 works upstream rather than supplying a hormone directly. It binds the growth-hormone-releasing hormone receptor on anterior-pituitary somatotrophs, activating the Gs/cAMP/PKA pathway that drives pulsatile growth-hormone release, which in turn raises hepatic IGF-1 ^[1]. The CJC-1295 peptide is therefore a secretagogue: it prompts the body's own growth-hormone machinery instead of acting as exogenous growth hormone.

A notable property is that pulsatility survives. In healthy men aged 20 to 40, a single dose of 60 or 90 micrograms per kilogram raised basal growth hormone roughly 7.5-fold and mean growth hormone by about 46 percent one week later, while the frequency and amplitude of the natural growth-hormone pulses were unchanged ^[3]. Continuous GHRH-analog stimulation did not flatten the pulse pattern into a steady drip.

The molecular details — CAS 863288-34-0, a molecular weight near 3367.9 Da before albumin conjugation, and a molecular formula that registry sources disagree on — are catalogued on the full reference list and the research page. The effective circulating species after DAC conjugation is the much larger peptide-albumin complex, near 66 kDa.

The regulatory status, stated plainly

CJC-1295 is an unapproved research chemical. It is not approved for human use by the FDA or any major regulator, and it is sold and handled for laboratory research use only ^[1]. In 2024 it was reviewed by the FDA Pharmacy Compounding Advisory Committee and was not recommended for the 503A compounding bulks list, with immunogenicity and other safety concerns cited ^[1]. There is no pending reclassification that changes this.

In sport, the status is unambiguous: CJC-1295 is prohibited at all times under Section S2 of the World Anti-Doping Agency Prohibited List, and the analytical methods to detect it are well established ^[1]. The same anti-doping literature that identified CJC-1295 in a seized preparation by LC-MS/MS is part of why detection is mature ^[10].

This matters for a due-diligence reading because the regulatory record is the part most often glossed in promotional material. The compound has measured pharmacokinetics and a clear unapproved status; both belong in the same summary.

How to read this site

This is an editorial digest, organized by how well-established each claim is. Findings with human pharmacokinetic data sit in front. Mechanistic and animal work sits a step back. The honest gaps and the regulatory boundaries sit furthest back, and they are not buried.

The research page collects the mechanism, the human PK studies, and the CJC-1295 and ipamorelin two-receptor rationale. The dosage page documents the doses used in the research literature as research values only — this site does not provide human dosing. The dedicated CJC-1295 half-life page rebuilds the pharmacokinetic timeline, and the DAC-versus-no-DAC page disentangles the two forms. The reported and theoretical side effects and the FDA and WADA regulatory status are collected on the FAQ.

Every quantitative claim on this site cites a study, and every citation resolves to a PubMed or DOI link on the references page. Where the literature is thin, the digest says so plainly rather than filling the gap with claims the studies do not support.