CJC-1295 / Ipamorelin

Educational overview

CJC-1295 / Ipamorelin is listed in the ezGLP knowledgebase under Blends. Evidence and regulatory status can vary by formulation, route, and jurisdiction.

CJC-1295 / Ipamorelin is a fixed-ratio compounded blend that pairs a growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH) analogue with a ghrelin-receptor agonist. The CJC-1295 component is usually the short-acting form without DAC, a modified GHRH(1-29) fragment that acts on pituitary GHRH receptors. Ipamorelin is a synthetic pentapeptide that binds the ghrelin receptor GHS-R1a and was described by Raun and colleagues in 1998 as the first selective growth hormone secretagogue, meaning it released growth hormone with little effect on cortisol, ACTH, or prolactin in their models. The two mechanisms are complementary, and stimulating both receptors together produces a larger GH pulse than either alone.

The evidence base is entirely component-level and small. Ipamorelin has a 1998 preclinical characterisation, a 1999 pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic model built from healthy human volunteers by Gobburu and colleagues, and a 2014 randomised proof-of-concept trial by Beck and colleagues in postoperative ileus after bowel resection, which did not lead to an approved indication. Human CJC-1295 data come from Teichman and colleagues' 2006 phase I and II program using the with-DAC form. No published clinical trial has evaluated the fixed-ratio CJC-1295 / Ipamorelin product itself, so claims about combined efficacy, body composition, sleep, or recovery rest on extrapolation rather than direct study.

The blend has no marketing approval from the FDA, the EMA, or comparable regulators, and it is available in the United States only from compounding pharmacies or as a research-labelled product. The FDA has placed ipamorelin acetate among bulk substances that may present significant safety risks for compounding, citing possible immunogenicity from aggregation or peptide impurities and literature reports of serious adverse events, including death, with intravenous administration. CJC-1295 salts were reviewed unfavourably by the agency's Pharmacy Compounding Advisory Committee in 2024. Both ipamorelin and CJC-1295 appear by name on the World Anti-Doping Agency Prohibited List under section S2.

Compounded blends are supplied as one lyophilised vial containing both peptides in a set ratio, reconstituted with bacteriostatic water before subcutaneous injection, with some pharmacies also offering nasal or oral forms of ipamorelin. An inventory record for a blend generally notes total peptide mass per vial, the stated split between components, lot number, reconstitution date, and storage temperature, since the two components cannot be tracked separately once dissolved. No approved label sets storage or beyond-use limits, and the stability of the two peptides sharing one solution has not been published; the compounding pharmacy's own documentation is the only formal reference for handling.

Category

Blends

Routes represented

Subcutaneous (SubQ)

Storage context

Follow the dispensed product or pharmacy label; storage and beyond-use time vary by formulation.