CJC-1295
Reviewed
Short answer
Short studies in healthy adults found that CJC-1295 raised growth hormone (GH) and insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1). These hormone measurements do not prove better recovery, muscle gain, or fat loss. Still being studied. This review found no FDA-approved CJC-1295 product in the United States.
The Peptide Field explains research. Its pages are not independently medically reviewed, and they do not diagnose, prescribe, or recommend treatment.
Read the study findingsAlso known as CJC 1295 · CJC-1295 DAC · CJC-1295 with DAC
Part of Growth hormone peptides
Compared with Tesamorelin · Sermorelin
Legal status Is CJC-1295 legal? See the status table
Study and product details
What it is
Growth hormone-releasing hormone is a body signal. It tells the body to release growth hormone. CJC-1295 is a changed version made to last longer. Online pages may use the name CJC-1295 for different forms. Some have a chemical part called DAC, and some do not.
Type of peptide: Long-acting version of a body signal that tells the body to release growth hormone. This describes what the substance is or how it works. It does not show that it is safe, effective, or approved.
What has been studied?
- Limited: Research is too small or incomplete, or does not directly answer this question.
- Moderate: Useful evidence exists, but important limits remain.
- Unclear: There is not enough reliable detail about the product or research to judge.
Studies in people measured hormone levels. They did not test lasting health benefits.
Short studies in healthy adults found that CJC-1295 raised growth hormone and insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) for a time.
The studies were short. FDA reports serious unwanted events, limited clinical data, and concerns about unwanted material in peptide products.
Online pages may use the name CJC-1295 for versions with DAC, without DAC, different salt forms, or mixtures with other ingredients.
Products with the same ingredient can differ.
The ingredient name does not tell you everything about a product. Check its other ingredients, its form, how it enters the body, and the use and people covered by the research or approval.
None identified in the United States.
- No FDA-approved indication
Have a lab test report (COA) for a product sold under this name? Check what the report shows in 10 questions
Not sure if a product sold under this name is a prescription, compounded, or research-only vial? Sort it in 5 questions
What studies found
Two studies assigned healthy adults to groups by chance. Some received CJC-1295, and some received a placebo, an inactive comparison. The studies found that growth hormone and IGF-1 stayed higher for a time. Another study found changes in how growth hormone was released. These studies measured body signals, not health benefits.
Higher hormone levels do not prove less body fat, more muscle, better recovery, better sleep, more energy, or a longer life. These studies did not establish those popular claims. Long-term safety is still unclear.
Which products do these findings apply to?
Some products use the name CJC-1295 for different chemical forms, including different salts. Some have a chemical part called DAC, and some do not. FDA says evidence for the DAC form cannot prove the same effects for a no-DAC form. These products are not automatically the same as modified GRF 1-29 or pharmacy-made mixtures with other ingredients.
CJC-1295 side effects and safety: what FDA has said
This page has no trial or drug-label side-effect table for CJC-1295. FDA keeps a page of bulk substances that may be risky when a pharmacy mixes (compounds) them. Here is what that page says about CJC-1295, in plain words.
- FDA has identified serious health problems tied to CJC-1295 use. They include a faster heart rate and a reaction in which blood vessels widen throughout the body. FDA calls this a systemic vasodilatory reaction.
- FDA says the data from studies in people are limited.
- The body's immune system may react against it. FDA says this risk depends on how it is given.
- Making it may leave unwanted peptide by-products in the product.
- It may be hard to confirm exactly what the main ingredient is.
These points come from FDA's review of compounded drugs. They are not a full list of side effects. Having no reports does not mean a product is safe.
Read FDA's exact words
CJC-1295: “Compounded drugs containing CJC-1295 may pose risk for immunogenicity for certain routes of administration and may have complexities with regard to for peptide-related impurities and API characterization. FDA has identified serious adverse events associated with CJC-1295 including increased heart rate and systemic vasodilatory reaction. Available clinical data are limited.”
Source: FDA, Certain bulk drug substances for use in compounding that may present significant safety risks , page dated .
Compare side-effect data across peptides
Report a side effect
You can report a suspected side effect to the FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088 or through FDA MedWatch . If a reaction feels serious, get medical care first.
FDA page checked .
Fact checks
3 statements checked. Read what the results mean.
“CJC-1295 can raise GH and IGF-1 in healthy adults.”
Studies in people found that both hormones stayed higher for a time. This is a change in body measurements, not proof of a health benefit.
- What this answer is based on
- Studies of body changes in people
- Limits of this answer
- Short-term changes in GH and IGF-1 measured in the healthy adults studied.
Sources for this fact check (2)
“CJC-1295 builds muscle and burns fat in people.”
The cited studies did not test lasting changes in body fat, muscle, or what people could do physically.
- What this answer is based on
- No reliable studies showing this health result in people
- Limits of this answer
- Lasting changes in body fat, muscle, or what people could do physically. The cited hormone studies did not test these outcomes.
Sources for this fact check (2)
“All products called CJC-1295 are interchangeable.”
Research papers and sellers may use the name for different forms, including different salts, changed versions, or mixtures with other ingredients.
- What this answer is based on
- Official record or product label
- Limits of this answer
- Products labeled CJC-1295 that differ in form, salt, chemical changes, added ingredients, or quality controls.
Sources for this fact check (2)
Questions people ask about CJC-1295
FDA's page on risky compounding substances says this about CJC-1295. FDA has identified serious health problems tied to CJC-1295 use. They include a faster heart rate and a reaction in which blood vessels widen throughout the body. FDA calls this a systemic vasodilatory reaction. FDA says the data from studies in people are limited. The body's immune system may react against it. FDA says this risk depends on how it is given. Making it may leave unwanted peptide by-products in the product. It may be hard to confirm exactly what the main ingredient is. These points come from FDA's review of compounded drugs. They are not a full list of side effects.
Risks and safety limits
FDA says compounded CJC-1295 may pose a risk of unwanted immune reactions when given by certain routes. FDA also describes possible quality concerns, including peptide impurities and incomplete information about the active ingredient. FDA reports serious events associated with CJC-1295, including a faster heart rate and a whole-body reaction in which blood vessels widen. The small published studies did not report those serious events. Available clinical data are limited. This guide gives no dose or personal-use instructions.
The 2026 WADA list names CJC-1295 as a growth hormone-releasing hormone analogue. It is prohibited at all times for athletes covered by the list.
Reviewed .Check the rules for athletes ↗Read the official rules ↗Terms used in the studies
- analog
- a changed version made to act like another substance
- placebo
- an inactive treatment used for comparison
- peptide
- a short chain of amino acids
- human pharmacology
- a study of how a substance changes the body in people
- mechanism
- how a substance may cause a body change
- biomarker
- a body or lab measurement, not automatically a health benefit
- outcome
- what the study measured
- compounded
- made for one patient by a pharmacy, or in batches by a permitted outsourcing facility; a compounded drug is not FDA-approved
Read the sources
Show 5 sources
Review history
Clarified the human hormone findings, product-form limits, FDA safety record, and 2026 anti-doping status.
Expanded alias, product-identity, and anti-doping context.
Not independently medically reviewed. This page is not a dosing, sourcing, or treatment guide.
Report a factual error