CJC-1295 Without DAC: Identity and Evidence Boundaries

Last evidence review: August 27, 2026

“CJC-1295” is used online for multiple distinct substances. FDA’s 2024 review separated five forms and documented inconsistencies in names and identifiers.[1]

On this page, CJC-1295 without DAC means the 29-residue, tetrasubstituted GHRH(1-29) analog that does not contain the albumin-binding drug-affinity-complex modification.

That distinction changes how the literature must be read. Frequently cited long-duration animal and healthy-volunteer studies investigated the DAC form. FDA reported that it did not identify studies establishing pharmacological activity for the no-DAC free base or acetate. DAC findings therefore belong in a clearly labeled related-but-non-equivalent section.

Identity at a glance

FDA warned that a commonly cited UNII record contains name/structure inconsistency and corresponds structurally to the DAC form.[1] A catalog page should not use a UNII until the exact sequence, terminal group, and DAC status are reconciled.

FDA's chemical assessment describes the no-DAC free base as a 29-amino-acid, C-terminally amidated analogue of growth hormone releasing hormone, with D-alanine at position 2, glutamine at 8, alanine at 15, and leucine at 27. The assessment separately evaluates its acetate salt and three DAC forms. These are specific structural descriptions, whereas the shorthand on a product label may omit the salt or terminal chemistry. FDA chemical assessment, sections II.A.1–5

Is there direct laboratory evidence for the no-DAC form?

FDA’s 2024 scientific review did not identify pharmacological studies establishing activity for CJC-1295 free base without DAC or CJC-1295 acetate.[1]

Structural similarity to other GHRH analogs can support a research hypothesis. It is not a substitute for direct receptor, signaling, stability, or functional data on the specified substance.

Analytical research does examine CJC-related materials. A 2021 study explicitly distinguished CJC-1295 from CJC-1295 with DAC while investigating in vitro metabolism and detection in fortified urine. It identified and characterized candidate metabolites for an analytical method. The experiment addressed the ability to detect parent peptides and breakdown products, not whether no-DAC material improves sleep, recovery, or body composition. Primary analytical study, PMID 34665524

Is there direct animal evidence for the no-DAC form?

FDA likewise did not identify studies establishing pharmacological activity of the no-DAC free base or acetate in animals.[1] Published animal studies cited in the review concerned CJC-1295 DAC, whose albumin-binding modification changes its disposition.

This absence is an evidence finding. It should not be filled with data borrowed from a related molecule.

What has been reported for the distinct DAC form?

In a primary rat study, the albumin-binding CJC-1295 DAC construct activated the GHRH receptor in cultured rat pituitary cells, produced growth-hormone responses in rats, formed an albumin-associated species in plasma, and remained detectable longer than unmodified GHRH(1-29).[2] The defining mechanism was the added reactive group that binds albumin, the modification absent from the material covered here.

Another mouse study evaluated the long-acting DAC analog in a GHRH-knockout growth model.[3] These experiments establish observations for CJC-1295 DAC in those systems; they do not establish the behavior of CJC-1295 without DAC.

What human evidence exists?

FDA did not identify human clinical safety or effectiveness studies of the no-DAC free base or acetate.[1]

Two small studies in healthy adults examined a long-acting CJC-1295 construct that appears to have used the DAC active moiety. One covered randomized, placebo-controlled studies; the other used before-and-after hormone sampling in healthy men.[4][5] They measured pharmacokinetics and hormone changes, not clinical benefit in a patient population.

Those studies cannot be used to claim that the no-DAC form has a particular half-life, hormone profile, effectiveness, or safety.

ClinicalTrials.gov lists NCT00267527, a study of CJC 1295 in people with HIV-associated visceral obesity, as terminated with no results posted. The public record names CJC 1295 without establishing a no-DAC identity. Its planned study design is not an observed treatment effect. Neither termination alone nor the absence of posted results demonstrates benefit, failure of efficacy, or a particular cause of harm. NCT00267527

What the evidence does not establish

• It does not establish direct pharmacological activity, pharmacokinetics, or clinical effects for CJC-1295 without DAC.
• It does not allow the long half-life reported for the albumin-binding DAC construct to be assigned to the no-DAC form.
• It does not establish effects on muscle, fat loss, recovery, aging, sleep, athletic performance, or any disease.
• It does not establish long-term safety, immunogenicity, reproductive safety, carcinogenicity, or safe administration.
• It does not show that labels such as “Mod GRF(1-29)” identify one consistent salt, sequence, or impurity profile.

Current regulatory status

FDA’s 2024 review distinguished the no-DAC free base, no-DAC acetate, DAC free base, DAC acetate, and DAC trifluoroacetate. FDA found the forms insufficiently characterized, found no direct pharmacology for the no-DAC forms, and proposed that all five not be included on the section 503A Bulks List.[1][6]

FDA's current compounding safety page, checked October 6, 2026, lists CJC-1295 among substances whose nominations were withdrawn. It identifies concerns about immunogenicity, peptide-related impurities, and characterization, and notes serious events associated with CJC-1295, including increased heart rate and a systemic vasodilatory reaction. The entry uses the broad CJC-1295 name; it does not provide a no-DAC-specific event denominator or prove that every named event involved an authenticated no-DAC product. FDA safety page

Because publications and marketplace records often fail to identify the exact form, a safety observation for one cannot be assigned automatically to another.

The December 4, 2024 meeting minutes record separate votes on the substances. For the no-DAC free base, no committee member voted for inclusion on the 503A Bulks List and 13 voted against. For no-DAC acetate, one voted for inclusion and 12 against. These are votes on a compounding-list question; they are not votes approving a drug for sale or establishing a clinical indication. FDA meeting minutes, page 7

FDA's meeting description explains that advisory recommendations are nonbinding. The vote should consequently retain its date and subject when summarized. Turning it into an undated claim about every legal route in every jurisdiction would go beyond what those minutes establish. FDA meeting page

Frequently asked questions

Are CJC-1295 with DAC and without DAC the same substance?

No. The DAC form contains an added albumin-binding group and is a distinct active moiety. Evidence for the DAC form cannot be assigned automatically to the no-DAC form.

Is CJC-1295 without DAC the same as “Mod GRF(1-29)”?

The labels are often used interchangeably online, but the terminology is not consistently standardized. Verify the complete sequence, terminal group, salt form, and analytical record rather than relying on shorthand.

Do published human CJC-1295 studies prove effects for the no-DAC form?

No. FDA concluded that the available human studies appear to concern the DAC active moiety and did not identify human studies of the no-DAC free base or acetate.

Primary and official sources

1. FDA December 2024 CJC-1295 briefing document
2. DAC cell and rat characterization, PMID 15817669
3. DAC GHRH-knockout mouse model, PMID 16822960
4. DAC healthy-adult studies, PMID 16352683
5. DAC hormone-pulsatility study, PMID 17018654
6. FDA December 2024 PCAC questions and proposals
7. FDA substances that may present significant compounding safety risks