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CJC-1295 with DAC

Growth hormone axis

Also known as DAC:GRF, CJC-1295 DAC

The long-acting version, which binds albumin and lasts days rather than minutes.

Read this first
Flattening growth hormone into a sustained elevation removes its natural pulsatility. Rodent work shows continuous secretagogue exposure raises hypothalamic somatostatin and suppresses spontaneous pulses, which is the mechanistic argument against this format rather than the short-acting one. Note also that any off-period shorter than about four weeks is not a washout, IGF-1 remains above baseline that long.

How it works

The same GHRH analogue carrying a drug affinity complex that binds covalently to serum albumin. That extends exposure from minutes to days, producing a sustained elevation in growth hormone and IGF-1 rather than a pulse.

Subcutaneous

In the body

Half-life
6 days
Time to peak
24 h
90% gone after
19.9 d
Builds up to
2.4×
Steady state after about 30.4 d at once or twice weekly.
Aug 3Aug 6Aug 9Aug 12Aug 15Aug 18Aug 2112:09 PM

Shape of a single dose, modelled as one compartment with first-order absorption. The peak is normalised to 100% because bioavailability and volume of distribution are not published for most of these compounds.

Roughly 5.8 to 8.1 days in the phase 1 study. Single doses raised growth hormone 2 to 10 fold for six days or more and IGF-1 1.5 to 3 fold for up to 11 days.

What happens, and when

  1. 0 min, 24 hBuilding toward peak. Growth hormone begins rising.
  2. 24 h, 6 dSustained elevation of growth hormone, 2 to 10 fold above baseline.
  3. 6 d, 11 dGrowth hormone returning to baseline while IGF-1 stays elevated.

Doses

30 mcg, 60 mcgonce or twice weeklyCommunity practice

Community convention, usually expressed per kilogram. Phase 1 studied single doses of 30 to 60 mcg/kg.

Vial sizes

2 mg5 mg

Commonly treated as good for 28 days refrigerated once reconstituted.

Side effects

  • Water retention, joint pain and carpal tunnel symptoms, all more likely than with the short-acting version
  • Sustained rather than pulsatile growth hormone, which is not how the hormone is normally secreted

Cautions

  • Active or suspected malignancy.
  • Diabetes or impaired glucose tolerance.
  • IGF-1 stays elevated for up to 28 days after repeated dosing, so exposure cannot be withdrawn quickly if something goes wrong.

Status

Not approved. The phase 2 programme in HIV lipodystrophy was halted after a participant died of a myocardial infarction. The attending physician attributed it to pre-existing coronary disease and causality was never established, but the programme was not restarted. Prohibited in sport at all times.

Sources

Reference information for personal record-keeping. Not medical advice, and not a recommendation to use any of these compounds.