What is CJC-1295 used for?

What it is being studied for

• Raising growth hormone and IGF-I in healthy adults: after one injection, average growth hormone rose 2- to 10-fold for 6 days or more and IGF-I 1.5- to 3-fold for 9–11 days; with repeated doses IGF-I stayed above baseline for up to 28 days. Two human randomized trials (placebo-controlled, double-blind, ages 21–61) [1].
• Keeping the natural growth-hormone rhythm: one week after a single injection, the size and frequency of growth-hormone pulses were unchanged, while the lowest (trough) level rose 7.5-fold, average growth hormone 46% and IGF-I 45%. Human before-and-after study in healthy men, no comparison group described [2].
• Blood-protein markers of growth-hormone activity: in 11 healthy young men, five protein spots changed one week after an injection, and one tracked IGF-I. Human before-and-after study [3].
• Abdominal fat linked to HIV treatment: a phase 2 human randomized trial was registered (planned 120 people, 12 weeks) but was terminated in 2006 with no results posted and no publication found [4].
• Growth in growth-hormone-releasing-hormone deficiency: in knockout mice lacking the hormone, daily dosing for 5 weeks gave normal body weight and length; less frequent dosing did not fully normalize growth. Animal study [5].
• No human result on clinical outcomes such as body composition or physical function was found; the human data are hormone and blood-protein levels only [1][2][3].
• DAC vs no-DAC: only the albumin-binding molecule (the form sold as “CJC-1295 with DAC”) appears in these studies. The “no-DAC” peptide, an unconjugated modified GRF 1-29, is not studied in them [6].

How it works

1. It is a modified copy of the first 29 building blocks of human growth-hormone-releasing factor, with an added chemical hook that latches onto albumin, the main protein in blood, so it travels on albumin after injection. Laboratory and rat study [6].
2. It acts at the pituitary gland: it released growth hormone from rat pituitary cells in a dish and raised growth hormone in rats after injection. Laboratory and animal study [6].
3. In people, the rise in growth hormone kept its natural pulsing pattern; the main change was a higher baseline level between pulses. Human before-and-after study [2].
4. What sets it apart from the closest compounds: the albumin link. Albumin-bound versions resisted breakdown by the enzyme DPP-IV in the laboratory [6], and in humans one injection had an estimated half-life of 5.8–8.1 days [1]. The unconjugated “no-DAC” peptide lacks this link and was not studied in these papers [6].

Adverse events reported

• The randomized trials reported no serious adverse reactions; the authors described CJC-1295 as relatively well tolerated, particularly at the lower doses tested. The published summary does not list event types or rates [1].
• The pulsatility and blood-protein studies report no safety data in their published summaries [2][3].
• The HIV trial was terminated; the registry gives no reason and no results [4].

Forms

Under-the-skin (subcutaneous) injection is the only form studied in humans, in healthy adults given single and repeated doses [1][2]. No study giving CJC-1295 as a nasal spray or by mouth was found. Only the albumin-binding (DAC) molecule appears in the human papers; the no-DAC peptide has no human data in these sources [6].

How injected, nasal and oral peptide forms compare across compounds, and what the record shows for each. Peptide pills vs nasal sprays vs injections.