CJC-1295 and tesamorelin start from the same idea: take growth-hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH), which the body clears quickly, and build a version that lasts longer. They ended up in very different places. Tesamorelin is an approved drug with an FDA label [1]. CJC-1295 was dropped from development in 2006 and voted down by FDA's compounding advisers in 2024 [4] [5].
Both copy GHRH, but they are not the same drug
GHRH is the hormone your hypothalamus sends to tell the pituitary to release growth hormone. Both peptides act on its receptor, and neither contains growth hormone. The Egrifta label calls tesamorelin "a growth hormone-releasing factor (GHRF) analog" [1]. Teichman 2006 calls CJC-1295 "a long-acting analog of GH-releasing hormone" [11].
The difference is in how each one was built to last. The CJC-1295 in the published trials carries DAC, a chemical add-on that binds it to albumin in the blood. That stretched its half-life to days [11]. Tesamorelin has no such anchor, and the Egrifta label gives its half-life in minutes [1]. Products sold online as "CJC-1295 no DAC" are a different molecule again, and FDA counts five distinct CJC-1295 substances [4].
Side by side: an approved label against short dosing studies
| CJC-1295 | Tesamorelin | |
|---|---|---|
| FDA status | Never approved | Approved as Egrifta, November 10, 2010; a biologic since March 23, 2020 [2] |
| Labeled use | None | Excess abdominal fat in adults with HIV and lipodystrophy [1] |
| Can a pharmacy compound it? | No: advisers voted against all five forms, December 4, 2024 [5] | No: biologics have no 503A or 503B exemption [3] |
| Half-life | 5.8 to 8.1 days (DAC form) [11] | 8 minutes (Egrifta SV label, healthy adults) [1] |
| Largest trial | 63 healthy adults across short dosing studies, most given one dose [4] | Phase 3, 412 adults with HIV, 26 weeks [9] |
| Clinical-outcome evidence | None published; the HIV trial was stopped | Visceral fat -15.2% vs +5.0% on placebo |
| Safety signals | Injection-site reactions, flushing, headache, faster heart rate | Injection-site reactions, fluid retention, glucose intolerance (label section 5) |
| Sport | Prohibited at all times, WADA S2.2.4 [13] | Prohibited at all times, WADA S2.2.4 [13] |
A longer half-life is not a benefit by itself. It describes how long the drug stays in the blood, not whether it improves anything.
Tesamorelin's evidence: two phase 3 trials and a narrow label
In the first phase 3 trial, 412 adults with HIV and excess belly fat, 86% of them men, took tesamorelin or placebo for 26 weeks. Visceral fat fell 15.2% on the drug and rose 5.0% on placebo, and IGF-1 rose 81% [9]. Pooling two phase 3 trials, 806 adults in all, gave a treatment effect of -15.4% on visceral fat, with fat under the skin unchanged [10]. Both trials were sponsored by the maker.
The label is just as clear about what the drug is not. Egrifta "is not indicated for weight loss management as it has a weight neutral effect," and its long-term cardiovascular safety "has not been established" [1]. Its safety section lists injection-site reactions in 25% of patients against 14% on placebo, fluid retention, and glucose intolerance: HbA1c reached 6.5% or higher in 5% against 1%. More on this is in is tesamorelin FDA approved.
CJC-1295's evidence: hormone levels in healthy adults, and a trial that stopped
The published CJC-1295 studies measured hormones, not results. In two small randomized trials in healthy adults aged 21 to 61, one injection raised growth hormone 2- to 10-fold for 6 days or more and IGF-1 1.5- to 3-fold for 9 to 11 days [11]. A second study in young men found growth hormone still came in normal pulses, while the floor between pulses rose 7.5-fold [12].
FDA's 2024 review counted everyone exposed in those studies: 63 healthy adults, 87% of them men, and 73% got only one dose [4]. No published study measured fat, muscle, sleep or aging.
Like tesamorelin, CJC-1295 was tested in people with HIV-associated lipodystrophy. That trial ended badly. FDA's briefing describes it from press reports of the time: 192 patients were enrolled, and one participant had a heart attack two hours after his 11th weekly dose and died [4]. The attending physician's most likely explanation was undiagnosed coronary artery disease. The trial was stopped, its data were never published, and the developer withdrew CJC-1295 from clinical trials in 2006.
| Study | Peptide | Who and how many | What it found |
|---|---|---|---|
| Falutz 2007 [9] | Tesamorelin | 412 adults with HIV, randomized, 26 weeks | Visceral fat -15.2% vs +5.0% |
| Falutz 2010 [10] | Tesamorelin | 806 adults with HIV, two trials pooled | Treatment effect -15.4%; fat under the skin unchanged |
| Teichman 2006 [11] | CJC-1295 (DAC) | Healthy adults aged 21 to 61, two small randomized trials | GH 2- to 10-fold for 6+ days; half-life 5.8 to 8.1 days |
| Ionescu 2006 [12] | CJC-1295 (DAC) | Healthy young men, one dose | Trough GH 7.5-fold; pulses preserved |
| HIV lipodystrophy trial | CJC-1295 (DAC) | 192 enrolled, per press reports | Stopped after a death; never published |
Tesamorelin vs CJC-1295 with ipamorelin: the blend has no trial at all
CJC-1295 is usually sold paired with ipamorelin, a ghrelin mimetic, so the more common search is tesamorelin against the blend. The answer is the same, only stronger. The blend adds a peptide that FDA's advisers also voted against, 0 yes, 12 no and 1 abstention, in October 2024 [6]. No published trial has tested the two together. What is and isn't known about the pair is on CJC-1295 and ipamorelin, and the ipamorelin side alone is on the ipamorelin page.
Status and access: Egrifta by prescription, CJC-1295 not at all
CJC-1295's compounding route closed in steps. FDA placed it in Category 2 of its 503A list on September 29, 2023 [7], and removed it on September 27, 2024, after the nominations were withdrawn [8]. Leaving the category did not clear it. FDA still asked its advisers, and on December 4, 2024 they voted on each of the five forms.
| Form | Yes | No | Abstain |
|---|---|---|---|
| CJC-1295 (free base) | 0 | 13 | 0 |
| CJC-1295 acetate | 1 | 12 | 0 |
| CJC-1295 DAC (free base) | 0 | 13 | 0 |
| CJC-1295 DAC acetate | 0 | 13 | 0 |
| CJC-1295 DAC trifluoroacetate | 0 | 13 | 0 |
A yes vote meant adding the form to the 503A bulks list. FDA had proposed adding none. Source: summary minutes, approved February 21, 2025.
Tesamorelin is shut out by its category instead. Since March 23, 2020, Egrifta has been licensed as a biologic, and FDA's notice to compounders said those products "will not be eligible for the exemptions for compounded drugs under sections 503A and 503B" [3]. The lawful route is a prescription for Egrifta SV or Egrifta WR, for its labeled use or off-label at a prescriber's judgment.
Related matchups: CJC-1295 vs sermorelin and tesamorelin vs ipamorelin. How this site weighs evidence and status is in how we check.