# CJC-1295: A Pharmacy Dossier on the Published GHRH-Analog Record

> CJC-1295 is a 30-amino-acid GHRH analog that elevated plasma growth hormone 2- to 10-fold for six days or more in a Phase I human trial. A dossier of the peer-reviewed evidence and the compounding-pharmacy literature.

_A reading of the CJC-1295 peptide record: one Phase I human trial, two foundational rodent studies, an unsettled FDA compounding posture, and a thick gray-literature halo around the 'CJC-1295 + ipamorelin' protocol._

## What the CJC-1295 record actually contains

CJC-1295 is a 30-amino-acid analog of growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH 1-29) with four amino-acid substitutions that resist enzymatic degradation. The DAC variant adds a maleimidopropionic-acid linker that conjugates covalently to free cysteine-34 of circulating serum albumin, extending plasma half-life from minutes to days [1][3].

The peer-reviewed evidence base is small and specific. A single published Phase I dose-escalation trial in healthy adults (Teichman 2006, n ≈ 50 across cohorts) measured 2- to 10-fold mean plasma growth-hormone elevation and 1.5- to 3-fold IGF-1 elevation across single subcutaneous doses of 30, 60, 125, and 250 µg/kg, with plasma elimination half-life estimated at 5.8 to 8.1 days [1][2]. Two foundational rodent studies established the receptor pharmacology — Jetté 2005 characterized the albumin bioconjugate at the GHRH receptor of anterior-pituitary tissue, and Alba 2006 showed once-daily CJC-1295 normalized growth and pituitary GH-gene expression in GHRH-knockout mice [3][4].

Everything beyond that is gray literature. The widely circulated 'CJC-1295 + ipamorelin' compounding-pharmacy protocols, the 100-300 µg total-daily dose tables, the 'anti-aging' marketing — these are protocol claims, not trial endpoints. This site renders the difference on the page: peer-reviewed evidence sits inside solid rules; gray-literature material sits inside dashed rules. The reader knows which is which on sight.

## CJC-1295: A GHRH-Analog Peptide

CJC-1295 is a CJC-1295 peptide of the GHRH-analog class — structurally derived from the first 29 residues of human growth hormone-releasing hormone, with four substitutions (D-Ala2, Gln8, Ala15, Leu27) that block dipeptidyl peptidase-4 cleavage [1]. The DAC variant carries the additional albumin-binding linker; the no-DAC variant — chemically identical to what is sometimes labeled modified GRF (1-29) — does not.

The distinction matters because it produces two entirely different pharmacokinetic molecules sharing one name. With DAC: a multi-day half-life, sustained baseline GH elevation, weekly dosing in the Phase I literature [1]. Without DAC: an approximately 30-minute half-life, short pulsatile GH effect, multiple daily doses in compounding-pharmacy protocols [12]. Discussions of 'CJC-1295' that do not specify which variant is meant are routinely discussions of two different drugs.

## What does CJC-1295 do?

CJC-1295 binds the growth hormone-releasing hormone receptor (GHRHR) — a class B G-protein-coupled receptor on anterior-pituitary somatotrophs — and activates the Gs/adenylate cyclase/cAMP/PKA cascade that drives growth-hormone synthesis and pulsatile release [7][8]. Downstream, the elevated GH stimulates hepatic IGF-1 secretion, the canonical mediator of growth-hormone's peripheral effects [1].

In the Teichman Phase I trial, single subcutaneous doses elevated mean plasma GH 2- to 10-fold and IGF-1 1.5- to 3-fold, with IGF-1 remaining above baseline for nine to eleven days [1][2]. Repeat dosing produced cumulative IGF-1 elevation extending to twenty-eight days [2]. Body-composition, longevity, and clinical-outcome endpoints have not been measured in any completed trial.

## What is CJC-1295?

CJC-1295 is a synthetic 30-amino-acid analog of growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH 1-29) with four substitutions that resist enzymatic degradation; the DAC variant adds a maleimidopropionic-acid linker that binds serum albumin, extending half-life from minutes to days [1][3]. The molecule was developed by ConjuChem in the early 2000s as a long-acting GHRH-analog drug candidate; Phase II development was halted in 2006 [13], and the molecule has persisted since then in compounding-pharmacy use and a thin academic literature.

## How the dossier is organized

This pharmacy dossier is laid out as a research record, not a product page. Five sections carry the load: [CJC-1295 mechanism of action](/research#mechanism), [CJC-1295 dosage in published research](/dosage), [CJC-1295 side effects](/side-effects), the [CJC-1295 and ipamorelin combination](/faq#cjc-ipamorelin) rationale, and the full [references and citations](/references) table. The /research page also carries the [CJC-1295 with DAC vs. without DAC](/research#dac-vs-no-dac) section, the [CJC-1295 half-life](/research#half-life) data, the [modified GRF (1-29)](/research#modified-grf) chemistry, and the [outcomes reported in CJC-1295 studies](/research#results) tables.

What the dossier does not do: recommend doses, prescribe protocols, sell product, or fill a script. The 'pharmacy' in the domain name is editorial — a position taken relative to the compounding-pharmacy literature, not a service offered. See [frequently asked questions](/faq) for the canonical Q&A index.

## References

[1] Teichman SL, Neale A, Lawrence B, Gagnon C, Castaigne JP, Frohman LA. 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. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16352683/

[2] Teichman SL, et al. CJC-1295 Phase I pharmacokinetics — half-life and IGF-1 elevation duration data. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2006;91(3):799-805. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16352683/

[3] Jetté L, Léger R, Thibaudeau K, et al. Human growth hormone-releasing factor (hGRF)1-29-albumin bioconjugates activate the GRF receptor on the anterior pituitary in rats: identification of CJC-1295 as a long-lasting GRF analog. Endocrinology. 2005;146(7):3052-3058. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15817669/

[4] Jetté L, et al. CJC-1295 albumin-conjugation pharmacokinetics in rats — peptide detectable in plasma beyond 72 hours, 4-fold GH AUC over unmodified GRF. Endocrinology. 2005;146(7):3052-3058. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15817669/

[7] Growth hormone-releasing hormone receptor (GHRH-R) and its signaling (review). Rev Endocr Metab Disord. 2025. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12137518/

[8] Zhou F, Zhang H, Cong Z, Zhao LH, et al. Structural basis for activation of the growth hormone-releasing hormone receptor. Nat Commun. 2020;11(1):5205. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-020-18945-0

[12] Modified GRF (1-29) — chemistry and pharmacology overview (review compendium, citing primary GRF analog literature). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modified_GRF_(1-29)

[13] Aidsmap editorial. Lipodystrophy study halted after patient death (news report on ConjuChem Phase II CJC-1295 trial). aidsmap.com. 2006. https://www.aidsmap.com/news/jul-2006/lipodystrophy-study-halted-after-patient-death

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A compounding-pharmacy reading room for the CJC-1295 research record — Phase I evidence rendered in solid rules, gray-literature claims in dashed ones, no scripts filled on the premises.