CJC-1295 (with DAC) : données probantes, mécanisme et limites

CJC-1295 with Drug Affinity Complex (DAC) is a synthetic analog of growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH). The DAC modification lets the molecule bind covalently to albumin in the blood, which extends how long it stays active.

FDA's 2024 evaluation describes CJC-1295 with DAC and CJC-1295 without DAC as two distinct active moieties that are not interchangeable. It also found inconsistent naming for these substances, which FDA says creates a risk that a person receives a different substance than the one ordered. Findings for the DAC form should not be transferred to the no-DAC form.

Like the body's own GHRH, CJC-1295 activates GHRH receptors on growth hormone-producing cells of the anterior pituitary. The receptor signals through cyclic AMP and triggers the release of stored growth hormone. Growth hormone then raises IGF-1 production in the liver and other tissues.

This pathway is supported by human pharmacology studies. A sampling study in healthy men found that growth hormone pulses persisted during continuous stimulation, while baseline levels rose. Preserved pulses do not make the signal identical to normal secretion, and a higher IGF-1 level is not proof of a functional benefit.

The strongest study combined two randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind trials in healthy adults. It found prolonged, sustained increases in growth hormone and IGF-1. Its endpoints were hormone concentrations, not recovery, strength, or body composition.

A second study showed preserved growth hormone pulsatility, and a serum-proteomics study reported changes in blood protein profiles. These biomarker findings do not establish a clinical benefit. All three studies came from one development program.

FDA found no study in which any form of CJC-1295 was given to people with a disease or condition. A 2026 narrative review places CJC-1295 among performance-enhancing peptides and describes the gap between controlled evidence and self-administration.

In the healthy-adult studies reviewed by FDA, local reactions where the drug was given were the most common adverse events. Others included systemic vasodilatory reactions, headache, nausea, abdominal pain, diarrhea, dizziness, low blood pressure, and increased heart rate. FDA's safety-risk list names increased heart rate and systemic vasodilatory reaction as serious adverse events.

FDA also describes anecdotal reports of an unpublished phase 2 trial in people with HIV lipodystrophy in which one participant had a heart attack and died. The attending physician said the most likely explanation was undiagnosed coronary artery disease. The study was stopped, its data were never published, and FDA reports that the developer withdrew the drug from clinical trials that year. Because exposure lasts a long time, adverse endocrine effects may not stop promptly. Long-term safety has not been studied.

In animal studies reviewed by FDA, repeated dosing caused bleeding, inflammation, and tissue death where the drug was given in rats and dogs, and laboratory tests showed signals of genetic damage. No cancer studies have been done in animals.

No CJC-1295 product is approved by FDA or Health Canada. FDA's compounding evaluation found no data on effectiveness for growth hormone deficiency and proposed against adding any CJC-1295 form to the list of substances pharmacies may use to compound. WADA prohibits CJC-1295 and other GHRH analogues in and out of competition.