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GHRH analog and ghrelin-receptor agonist blend

CJC-1295 / ipamorelin

CJC-1295 / ipamorelin pairs two unapproved peptides, a modified growth hormone-releasing hormone and a ghrelin-receptor agonist, that are often used together.

Medical review in progressLast reviewed

US regulatory status

Not approved for human use in the US

Neither peptide is approved by the FDA for any use, and no FDA-approved product contains either one, alone or blended. The FDA has cited serious adverse events with CJC-1295, including increased heart rate and a systemic vasodilatory reaction; the nomination to allow it in compounding was withdrawn, and it is on no list that permits compounding. Ipamorelin is in category 2 (significant safety risks) for outsourcing facilities (503B), and its 503A nomination was withdrawn. WADA prohibits both at all times.

As of

Sources1234

On this page
  1. US regulatory status
  2. At a glance
  3. What the research shows
  4. Side effects and safety
  5. Vial math
  6. Questions people ask
  7. Sources
  8. Related compounds

At a glance

Also known as
CJC-1295, Ipamorelin, Ipamorelin acetate, CJC-1295 with DAC, CJC-1295 without DAC, CJC-1295 no DAC, Mod GRF 1-29
Supplied as
Freeze-dried powder, mixed before use
Research
Limited human evidence
US status
US status: Not approvedchecked

What the research shows

Evidence grade

Limited human evidence

Some studies in people, but they are small, short, early-phase or uncontrolled.

CJC-1295 is growth hormone-releasing hormone (1-29) with four amino-acid changes that resist breakdown; the DAC version adds a chemical group that binds albumin in the blood, which kept it in rats’ plasma beyond 72 hours. In two placebo-controlled trials in healthy adults aged 21 to 61, one injection of CJC-1295 with DAC raised average growth hormone 2- to 10-fold for 6 days or more and IGF-1 1.5- to 3-fold for 9 to 11 days; with repeated doses, IGF-1 stayed above baseline for up to 28 days. A second study in healthy men found growth hormone was still released in pulses, with trough levels 7.5-fold higher one week after a single injection. CJC-1295 without DAC (also called Mod GRF 1-29), the form usually blended with ipamorelin, has no controlled human studies. Ipamorelin is a five-amino-acid peptide developed by Novo Nordisk. In animal (swine) studies it released growth hormone without raising ACTH or cortisol. In healthy men given it by intravenous infusion, it caused a single growth hormone release peaking at about 0.67 hours (40 minutes). Its phase 2 trial, for bowel recovery after surgery, found no significant benefit over placebo. A 2026 review found that combining the two is largely driven by anecdotal reasoning, and controlled evidence for added benefit or body-composition change in healthy people remains limited.

Sources567891011

How we grade evidence

  1. Strong human evidence

    Consistent results from large randomized controlled trials in people.

  2. Limited human evidence · this page

    Some studies in people, but they are small, short, early-phase or uncontrolled.

  3. Mixed evidence

    Studies in people disagree, or strong evidence for one use sits beside weak evidence for another.

  4. Animal or lab studies only

    Studied in cells or animals, not properly in people. Animal results may not apply to humans.

The grade describes how much research exists and in whom. It is not a judgment that a compound works or is safe.

Side effects and safety

The FDA has identified serious adverse events with CJC-1295, including increased heart rate and a systemic vasodilatory reaction (blood vessels widening throughout the body), and says available clinical data are limited. For ipamorelin, the FDA points to a published study with serious adverse events, including death, when it was given intravenously for gut motility, and says it has no safety information for other injected routes. The FDA also says compounded forms of both may pose a risk of immune reactions for certain routes of administration. In the phase 2 bowel-surgery trial, adverse events were reported in 87.5% of people on ipamorelin and 94.8% on placebo. In the CJC-1295 trials in healthy adults, no serious adverse reactions were reported. Long-term safety of either peptide, and of the two together, is unknown, and vials from unregulated sources are not checked for purity or strength.

Sources16711

Vial math

Pre-filled calculators turn your vial, water and prescribed dose into syringe units.

Pre-filled for your vial size

These pages do the arithmetic for a vial you already have. They don’t suggest a dose.

This is arithmetic, not medical advice. Confirm with your prescriber or pharmacist.

Questions people ask

What is the difference between CJC-1295 with DAC and without DAC?

DAC (drug affinity complex) is a chemical add-on that lets CJC-1295 bind to albumin in the blood. With DAC, its estimated half-life in healthy adults was 5.8 to 8.1 days. Without DAC (Mod GRF 1-29), it is just the modified peptide, and no controlled human study has tested it. Almost all human data are for the DAC version.

Sources

What are the side effects of CJC-1295?

The FDA has identified serious adverse events with CJC-1295, including increased heart rate and a systemic vasodilatory reaction, in which blood vessels widen throughout the body. In the 2006 trials of CJC-1295 with DAC, no serious adverse reactions were reported, but those trials were small and short. Long-term effects are unknown. Tell your prescriber about any new symptoms.

Sources

Is CJC-1295 / ipamorelin FDA-approved?

No. As of October 16, 2026, neither peptide is approved for any use in the US. The nomination to allow CJC-1295 in compounding was withdrawn, so it is on no FDA compounding list. Ipamorelin is in category 2 (significant safety risks) for outsourcing facilities. Both are also banned in sport at all times under the 2026 WADA list.

Sources

What is ipamorelin?

A five-amino-acid peptide that acts on the ghrelin receptor to release growth hormone. In animal studies it did not raise cortisol, unlike older peptides such as GHRP-6. In its phase 2 trial, in 117 people enrolled after bowel surgery, time to a first tolerated meal was 25.3 hours vs 32.6 hours on placebo, a difference that was not statistically significant.

Sources

Why are CJC-1295 and ipamorelin combined?

They act on two different receptors that both release growth hormone: CJC-1295 on the GHRH receptor, ipamorelin on the ghrelin receptor. A 2026 review found the pairing is largely driven by anecdotal reasoning, and controlled evidence for it remains limited. If your vial holds both, the blend calculator shows how much of each is in every unit, and the 5 mg blend calculator does the mixing arithmetic.

Sources

What is the half-life of CJC-1295 and ipamorelin?

CJC-1295 with DAC had an estimated half-life of 5.8 to 8.1 days in healthy adults. Ipamorelin, given into a vein, had a terminal half-life of about 2 hours. No published human study gives a half-life for CJC-1295 without DAC, or for ipamorelin injected under the skin.

Sources

Sources

  1. Certain Bulk Drug Substances for Use in Compounding that May Present Significant Safety RisksU.S. Food and Drug Administration, 2026 · Accessed Oct 16, 2026 (opens in a new tab)
  2. Bulk Drug Substances Nominated for Use in Compounding Under Section 503A of the FD&C Act (updated May 14, 2026)U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 2026 · Accessed Oct 16, 2026 (opens in a new tab)
  3. Bulk Drug Substances Nominated for Use in Compounding Under Section 503B of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic ActU.S. Food and Drug Administration, 2025 · Accessed Oct 16, 2026 (opens in a new tab)
  4. World Anti-Doping Code International Standard: Prohibited List 2026World Anti-Doping Agency, 2026 · Accessed Oct 16, 2026 (opens in a new tab)
  5. Human growth hormone-releasing factor (hGRF)1-29-albumin bioconjugates activate the GRF receptor on the anterior pituitary in rats: identification of CJC-1295 as a long-lasting GRF analogEndocrinology, 2005 · Accessed Oct 16, 2026 (opens in a new tab)
  6. The emerging landscape of performance-enhancing peptides modulating GH-IGF1 axis: bridging the gap between clinical evidence and patient self-administrationFront Endocrinol (Lausanne), 2026 · Accessed Oct 16, 2026 (opens in a new tab)
  7. Prolonged stimulation of growth hormone (GH) and insulin-like growth factor I secretion by CJC-1295, a long-acting analog of GH-releasing hormone, in healthy adultsJ Clin Endocrinol Metab, 2006 · Accessed Oct 16, 2026 (opens in a new tab)
  8. Pulsatile secretion of growth hormone (GH) persists during continuous stimulation by CJC-1295, a long-acting GH-releasing hormone analogJ Clin Endocrinol Metab, 2006 · Accessed Oct 16, 2026 (opens in a new tab)
  9. Ipamorelin, the first selective growth hormone secretagogueEur J Endocrinol, 1998 · Accessed Oct 16, 2026 (opens in a new tab)
  10. Pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic modeling of ipamorelin, a growth hormone releasing peptide, in human volunteersPharm Res, 1999 · Accessed Oct 16, 2026 (opens in a new tab)
  11. Prospective, randomized, controlled, proof-of-concept study of the Ghrelin mimetic ipamorelin for the management of postoperative ileus in bowel resection patientsInt J Colorectal Dis, 2014 · Accessed Oct 16, 2026 (opens in a new tab)

Related compounds

Guides

Medical review in progressLast reviewed

Every medical and regulatory statement on this page links to a checkable source, listed above. Peptinote does arithmetic and education, not medical advice, and never sells or links to sellers of peptides.

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