What is CJC-1295 + ipamorelin?

What is CJC-1295 + ipamorelin?

CJC-1295 is an analogue of GHRH (growth hormone-releasing hormone) and ipamorelin is a selective GH secretagogue (a ghrelin receptor agonist). Combined, they generate a stronger, cleaner growth hormone pulse than either on its own. They are supplied for research purposes in a single pre-filled multi-dose pen.

The pair is studied as support for the growth hormone axis in recovery and body-composition research. Ipamorelin stands out for its selectivity: it barely affects cortisol or prolactin. Research results vary with dose and timing.

Mechanism of action

CJC-1295 is a 30-amino-acid analogue of GHRH (growth hormone-releasing hormone) with four substitutions that protect it from DPP-4 and a drug affinity complex (DAC) that binds it to albumin. The DAC form, which is the one in this pen, has a half-life of around six to eight days: a single dose raises GH and IGF-1 for more than a week. It acts on the pituitary GHRH receptor and increases the amplitude of GH pulses without abolishing their natural rhythm.

Ipamorelin is a pentapeptide agonist of the ghrelin receptor (GHS-R1a). It was the first secretagogue described as selective: at the doses that release GH it barely raises ACTH, cortisol or prolactin, unlike older secretagogues such as GHRP-6. Its half-life is short, around two hours.

Combined, the GHRH primes the somatotroph and the ghrelin mimetic fires the pulse; the sum is greater than either on its own. The pen carries the two co-dissolved and the figure on the dial is the dose of each peptide.

What the published research says

1. 1.
   Teichman et al., J Clin Endocrinol Metab, 2006PMID 16352683

   In healthy adults, single injections of CJC-1295 raised GH 2- to 10-fold for 6 days or more and IGF-1 1.5- to 3-fold for 9 to 11 days; the estimated half-life was 5.8 to 8.1 days.

2. 2.
   Ionescu and Frohman, J Clin Endocrinol Metab, 2006PMID 17018654

   Pulsatile GH secretion was preserved during continuous stimulation with CJC-1295: the analogue amplifies the pulses rather than replacing them with flat secretion.

3. 3.
   Raun et al., Eur J Endocrinol, 1998PMID 9849822

   Description of ipamorelin as the first selective GH secretagogue: in animal models it released GH without raising ACTH or cortisol at effective doses.

What side effects does CJC-1295 + ipamorelin have?

• Transient facial flushing or a feeling of warmth in the head shortly after injection.
• Fluid retention, tingling or numbness in the hands (GH-axis related), generally dose-dependent.
• Mild, transient injection-site reactions.

How is CJC-1295 + ipamorelin dosed?

Around 100 mcg of each peptide, once a day in the evening, to coincide with the natural GH release: the pen carries CJC-1295 with DAC, which is long-acting. The dial figure is the dose of each peptide, so dialling 0.1 mg delivers 0.1 mg of each and the pen's 20 mg yields 100 doses. The combined pen delivers both peptides at once, so there is no separate mixing.

Storing the pen

Keep the pen between 2 and 8 °C, protected from light and never frozen. Unopened it has a 24-month shelf life; from the first puncture, 12 months. If no fridge is available it keeps for up to 30 days at room temperature, below 30 °C. Let it reach room temperature before giving a dose. The dial sets each dose directly in milligrams: there is no reconstitution, no bacteriostatic water and no volume calculation.

How do you get CJC-1295 + ipamorelin?

Body Pharm's CJC-1295 + ipamorelin pen is a sealed, HPLC-verified device with a published certificate of analysis (CoA). Shipping is to Spain only: a single option at €15, delivered in 3–5 working days. It is sold exclusively for research purposes.

How much does CJC-1295 + ipamorelin cost per month?

From 149 € per pen: a single pen covers a multi-week research cycle at one dose a day.

How it compares

Against tesamorelin, which is also a GHRH analogue, CJC-1295 with DAC differs in its duration (days rather than hours) and in the absence of phase 3 trials: tesamorelin has a complete clinical programme in HIV-associated lipodystrophy, CJC-1295 stopped at phase 2. Against somatropin, both secretagogues stimulate endogenous GH and preserve the somatostatin feedback loop instead of supplying exogenous GH.

The combination with ipamorelin adds a second mechanism, the ghrelin receptor, which tesamorelin does not cover.

• CJC-1295 vs ipamorelin
• How to dose CJC-1295 + ipamorelin
• What is tesamorelin?