CJC-1295 With DAC: The GHRH Analog That Made It to Human Trials
An evidence-first look at CJC-1295 with DAC: real human PK/PD data, how albumin-binding extends its half-life to days, and why development was halted.
By Research Rats Editorial TeamReviewed by Research Rats Editorial Team
Evidence profile
Assessed 2026-06-13The GHRH analogue that reached human trials: genuine short-term PK/PD (a single dose raises GH/IGF-1 for days, pulsatility preserved). But there are no efficacy or long-term trials, development was halted in 2006 after a participant died during the Phase 2 programme — the cause of death and its relationship to the study drug were reported as under investigation rather than settled — it was never approved, and it is WADA-prohibited.
Well-characterised: albumin-binding DAC gives a ~6–8 day half-life and sustained GHRH-receptor activation.
Rat identification study and a GHRH-knockout-mouse normalisation study.
Real but limited: short ascending-dose PK/PD RCTs in healthy adults; no efficacy or outcome trials.
PK/PD only; no body-composition or clinical-outcome data.
Short-trial tolerability known; long-term unknown; development halted after a participant died during the Phase 2 programme, with the cause of death and its relationship to the study drug reported as under investigation rather than settled.
Reached Phase 2, halted in 2006; never approved.
Confident on short-term PK; long-term efficacy/safety unknown.
Unapproved, development halted in 2006; WADA-prohibited (S2); grey-market, no Category 1 status. FDA Category 2 nomination later withdrawn — not currently in the active Category 2 table, which is not a clearance and leaves the concerns FDA published standing.
Bars show the state of evidence, not desirability. A strong rating on any axis does not mean a compound is safe, effective, or recommended. Human evidence is often limited. Not medical advice.
What to know before reading further
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Evidence context
A GHRH analogue with genuine short-term human pharmacology (a single dose raises GH/IGF-1 for days), but no efficacy or long-term trials; development was halted in 2006.
Safety snapshot
Short-trial tolerability is known; long-term safety was never established. Development ended after a participant died during the Phase 2 programme. Contemporaneous reporting stated that the cause of death and its relationship to the study drug were under investigation rather than settled. Sustained IGF-1 elevation also carries class growth-hormone-excess concerns.
Regulatory & legality
Never approved; development halted in 2006; WADA-prohibited; grey-market, with frequent DAC-versus-no-DAC mislabelling. The FDA lists one undifferentiated CJC-1295 entry — it does not distinguish DAC from no-DAC — among bulk substances nominated to Category 2 whose nominations were withdrawn; it is not currently in the active Category 2 table, but a withdrawal is not approval or clearance and the FDA still publishes the concerns it identified, including identified serious adverse events.
Where claims can exceed the evidence
Human evidence is pharmacokinetic only — there are no body-composition or clinical-outcome data.
This article does not provide dosing, protocol, administration, sourcing, stack, or self-experimentation guidance, or personalised medical advice. It is educational and non-prescriptive — the evidence profile describes the state of research, not an individual decision.
Overview
CJC-1295 with DAC is one of the few research peptides that genuinely earned its data. Unlike most compounds traded in the grey market, it was a real pharmaceutical candidate, developed by the Montreal biotech ConjuChem in the mid-2000s and put through randomised, placebo-controlled human trials [1][2]. That gives us something rare in this space: published human pharmacology rather than pure speculation.
The "DAC" part matters, and it is frequently confused. DAC stands for Drug Affinity Complex, a chemical group that lets the peptide bond covalently to your own albumin and circulate for days [3][5]. This is the molecule the foundational studies actually called CJC-1295. The short-acting "CJC-1295 no-DAC" (modified GRF 1-29) is a different compound that lacks this group, and the two are routinely mislabelled by vendors.
The honest summary: short-term pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics in healthy adults are moderately well established and human-validated. But there are no published long-term efficacy or safety trials, no completed body-composition or clinical-outcome studies, and development was halted in 2006 after a participant death in a separate trial [8]. It was never approved by any regulator and is prohibited in sport [6].
Disclaimer. For educational and research purposes only. Not medical advice. We do not sell peptides or compounds.
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