CJC-1295 with DAC: Long-Acting GHRH Research and PH Status

Abstract still life: a glass spiral anchored by a long brass chain to a heavy stone, glowing steadily — **CJC-1295 with DAC.** Illustration, not a product photo.

Research compound. Not approved by FDA Philippines for human use unless stated. Nothing here is a dosing recommendation or medical advice.

What it is

CJC-1295 with DAC is a long-acting version of growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH), developed by the Canadian company ConjuChem in the early 2000s. It starts from GRF (1-29), the active fragment of GHRH that is also sold as sermorelin. Four amino acids are swapped to resist enzyme breakdown, and an extra lysine is added at the end carrying a reactive linker.

That linker is the Drug Affinity Complex, or DAC. After injection it forms a covalent bond with albumin, the most common protein in blood. Albumin circulates for weeks, so the attached peptide is protected from clearance. In the published literature, this albumin-binding molecule is what the name "CJC-1295" originally meant. The backbone without the linker is sold separately as CJC-1295 no DAC.

How it works

The peptide end of the molecule still binds the GHRH receptor on pituitary somatotrophs and triggers growth hormone release, which drives IGF-1 production in the liver. The difference is duration. Instead of a pulse lasting under an hour, one injection keeps the GHRH receptor stimulated for days.

In rats, the 2005 ConjuChem paper found that CJC-1295 produced about four times the GH area under the curve of plain GRF (1-29) over two hours, and the compound was still detectable in plasma beyond 72 hours. The albumin conjugate appeared in blood within 15 minutes of injection.

What the research found

Human studies

Teichman and colleagues (2006) ran two randomised, placebo-controlled, ascending-dose trials in healthy adults aged 21 to 61, lasting 28 and 49 days. After one injection:

mean GH rose 2- to 10-fold, depending on dose, for six days or more
mean IGF-1 rose 1.5- to 3-fold for 9 to 11 days
the estimated half-life was 5.8 to 8.1 days

With repeated doses, mean IGF-1 stayed above baseline for up to 28 days. No serious adverse reactions were reported, and the authors described the drug as relatively well tolerated, particularly at 30 or 60 mcg/kg.

Ionescu and Frohman (2006) asked whether continuous GHRH stimulation flattens the natural GH rhythm. Healthy men aged 20 to 40 had blood drawn every 20 minutes overnight, before and one week after a single injection. The baseline GH level between pulses rose 7.5-fold, mean GH rose 46% and IGF-1 rose 45%. Pulse frequency and size did not change. The authors concluded that the raised baseline, rather than bigger pulses, is the effect that matters for the IGF-1 rise.

The halted Phase 2 trial

ConjuChem took CJC-1295 into a Phase 2 trial for HIV-associated abdominal fat, enrolling 192 participants across North and South America. The company stopped the trial in July 2006 after a participant died. At the time the cause of death and any relationship to the drug were under investigation, and no finding of causality was reported in that coverage. The same indication was later won by tesamorelin.

Side effects reported in studies

The 2006 trials in healthy adults reported no serious adverse reactions and found the drug best tolerated at the lower doses. The abstracts do not break down individual side effects.

The US FDA lists CJC-1295 among bulk substances that raise safety concerns for compounding, citing possible immunogenicity, impurity and characterisation problems, and serious adverse events including increased heart rate and a systemic vasodilatory reaction.

Because the DAC version holds IGF-1 up for weeks, the general concerns about raised IGF-1 apply for longer: fluid retention, joint aches, reduced insulin sensitivity, and the open question of IGF-1 and cancer risk. Unlike a short pulse, an injection cannot be stopped once given.

CJC-1295 with DAC vs without DAC

	With DAC	Without DAC
Structure	Modified GRF (1-29) plus albumin-binding linker	Modified GRF (1-29) only
Half-life	5.8 to 8.1 days (healthy adults)	No published human data
GH pattern	Raised baseline for days, pulses preserved	Short pulse
Human trials	Phase 1 and 2	None published

Status in the Philippines

No CJC-1295 product is registered with FDA Philippines, and it was never approved in any country. It is not a controlled substance under RA 9165. Local research-chemical suppliers carry it, though the no-DAC version is more common, usually paired with ipamorelin. IGF-1 is the marker the 2006 trials tracked, and it can be measured at Philippine laboratories; see bloodwork in the Philippines.

Storage

Keep the freeze-dried powder refrigerated where possible. After mixing with bacteriostatic water, store it at 2 to 8°C and do not freeze it. In a Philippine summer, a vial left in a parked car or through a long brownout without a cooler is the main way peptides degrade. The reconstitution calculator handles the concentration arithmetic.

Doses used in published research

What investigators actually administered, as reported in the cited study. This is a record of the literature, not a recommendation.

Study	Population	Regimen
Teichman et al., J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2006	Healthy adults aged 21 to 61	Single subcutaneous dose at one of four ascending levels, or 2 to 3 doses given weekly or every two weeks; 30 and 60 mcg/kg best tolerated
Ionescu and Frohman, J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2006	Healthy men aged 20 to 40	Single subcutaneous injection of 60 or 90 mcg/kg

Common questions

How long does CJC-1295 with DAC last?

In healthy adults its estimated half-life was 5.8 to 8.1 days. After a single injection, GH stayed raised for six days or more and IGF-1 for nine to eleven days.

Does CJC-1295 with DAC stop natural GH pulses?

Not in the one study that looked. Ionescu and Frohman found that pulse frequency and size were preserved one week after an injection, while the baseline level of GH between pulses rose about 7.5-fold.

Why was CJC-1295 never approved?

ConjuChem halted its Phase 2 trial in HIV-associated abdominal fat in July 2006 after a participant died; the cause and any link to the drug were under investigation at the time. No company has since brought it to approval.

Is CJC-1295 with DAC better than without DAC?

They do different things. The DAC version gives a continuous rise in GH and IGF-1 for days from one injection; the no-DAC version gives a short pulse. Only the DAC version has published human data.