CJC-1295 NO DAC · DECODED
BY THE NUMBERS
HOW IT WORKS
A GHRH analog without the drug affinity complex (DAC). Binds the GHRH receptor and stimulates GH release, with a shorter half-life than the DAC form, producing a more pulsatile GH pattern. The absence of DAC is the defining structural distinction from CJC-1295 with DAC. No registered human pharmacokinetic or dose-finding trials exist for this compound.
WHERE IT CAME FROM
CJC-1295 is a synthetic analog of growth hormone-releasing hormone, the same hormone that tesamorelin is based on. It was originally developed by a Canadian biotechnology company called ConjuChem, which was working on a platform for extending the half-life of short-lived peptide hormones. The natural form of GHRH breaks down in the bloodstream within minutes. ConjuChem's approach was to attach a chemical group to the peptide that would bind it to albumin, a protein naturally present in blood, and use that binding to slow the degradation process.
CJC-1295 exists in two distinct forms and the distinction is significant enough that they behave as different compounds in practice. CJC-1295 with DAC, where DAC stands for Drug Affinity Complex, uses that albumin-binding technology to extend the half-life to roughly seven to eight days. A single injection keeps growth hormone elevated in a sustained, flat pattern for close to a week. CJC-1295 without DAC, which is this profile, does not carry that modification. Without DAC, the half-life drops to approximately 30 minutes, producing a short, sharp pulse of GH release that then clears the system. That is far closer to how the hypothalamus naturally signals the pituitary. The body does not release GHRH continuously. It releases it in pulses, and the pituitary responds in pulses. CJC-1295 without DAC approximates that pattern. CJC-1295 with DAC overrides it entirely. The concern with the DAC version is that sustained, non-pulsatile GH elevation may reduce the pituitary's sensitivity to GHRH signals over time, a phenomenon sometimes called receptor downregulation. This is why the no-DAC version became the dominant form in grey market use. When browsing vendors or community discussions, CJC-1295 without DAC is also commonly listed simply as Mod GRF 1-29, a shorthand that refers to the same 29-amino-acid modified GHRH fragment. ConjuChem never advanced CJC-1295 to Phase 3 trials. The compound moved into the grey market research chemical space, where it has remained.
THE STUDIES
WHAT THE STUDIES SHOW
ESTABLISHED
- ▸Activates GHRH receptors (mechanism confirmed)
- ▸DAC formulation raises GH and IGF-1 in humans
- ▸Pulsatile GH release with no-DAC formulation (theoretical, consistent with mechanism)
- ▸Short half-life preserves natural feedback loop
EXTRAPOLATED
- ▸Body composition improvements (inferred from GH effects)
- ▸Recovery support (inferred from GH effects)
- ▸Sleep quality (inferred from GH pulse timing)
- ▸No direct human trial data for these endpoints
UNKNOWN
- ▸Long-term safety in healthy adults
- ▸Optimal dosing frequency and amount
- ▸Interaction effects with other compounds
- ▸Whether no-DAC outperforms DAC in practice
SIDE EFFECTS
REPORTED (ANECDOTAL / EXTRAPOLATED)
- ▸Injection site reactions
- ▸Transient flushing or warmth after injection
- ▸Water retention, mild edema
- ▸Headache (reported in DAC formulation study)
- ▸Most reports are from user experience, not controlled trials
NOTABLE / MONITOR FOR
- ▸Elevated IGF-1 with chronic use (requires monitoring)
- ▸Potential pituitary desensitization with DAC formulation
- ▸Blood sugar elevation (GH reduces insulin sensitivity)
- ▸No controlled human safety data for no-DAC formulation
- ▸Purity and sterility risk inherent to all grey market compounds
REGULATORY STATUS
CJC-1295 in either formulation has no FDA approval and no active pharmaceutical development program working toward one. It is sold as a research chemical for laboratory use only through grey market vendors. In 2023, the FDA placed CJC-1295 on the Category 2 list, which explicitly prohibited it from compounding by licensed 503A pharmacies. In September 2024, the nominating parties withdrew the CJC-1295 nomination, the same action that removed Thymosin Alpha-1 and AOD-9604 from active Category 2 status. That withdrawal means CJC-1295 no longer appears on the active prohibited list. When the FDA removed 12 additional compounds in April 2026, CJC-1295 was not among them because it had already been removed separately. However, withdrawal from Category 2 does not authorize compounding: CJC-1295 does not appear on any FDA-approved 503A drug substance list and cannot be legally compounded. It has not been scheduled for PCAC review. Its regulatory status is a grey zone similar to Selank and AOD-9604: no longer explicitly prohibited, but nowhere near a cleared compounding pathway. There are no active ClinicalTrials.gov listings for CJC-1295 and no IND on file as of early 2026. Anyone obtaining CJC-1295 is doing so entirely outside the regulated pharmaceutical system.
PROS & CONS
PROS
- +Mechanism closely mirrors the body's natural GHRH signal (no-DAC version)
- +Preserves natural GH feedback loop rather than overriding it
- +Widely available in the grey market
- +Often combined with Ipamorelin to amplify the GH pulse through two separate mechanisms
- +Short half-life reduces the risk of prolonged GH elevation
CONS
- −No human efficacy trial data for any clinical endpoint
- −No FDA approval, no regulated supply chain
- −Purity, sterility, and accurate dosing cannot be verified without independent lab testing
- −IGF-1 elevation requires monitoring that most users are not performing
- −Blood sugar effects are real and undersupervised in grey market use
- −No clear legal pathway to obtain it through any licensed provider
DAILY PEPTIDE VERDICT
RANKING
CJC-1295 without DAC is the most mechanistically coherent of the grey market GH secretagogues. It does what GHRH does, briefly and in pulses, which is how the body actually operates. The problem is that mechanism is not evidence. There are no Phase 2 or Phase 3 human trials on body composition, recovery, or any other endpoint. The data that exists is from a single human study on the DAC formulation that was never followed up. That gap between a logical mechanism and actual clinical proof is what separates CJC-1295 from tesamorelin, which shares the same core mechanism but has a Phase 3 evidence base. CJC-1295 sits in the grey market because no pharmaceutical company has pursued it to approval, not because the science is necessarily wrong.
DISCLAIMER · EDUCATIONAL USE ONLY
This document is for educational and informational purposes only. CJC-1295 no DAC is sold as a research chemical and does not hold FDA approval for human use. Information here synthesizes publicly available research data and does not constitute medical advice.