CJC-1295 vs Ipamorelin
It is sold as an injection to build muscle, burn fat and slow ageing. Small trials show it raises growth hormone for days, but none show it changes muscle or fat. Sold for anti-aging, fat loss and muscle. It does raise growth hormone in people, but the one outcome trial, in 117 bowel surgery patients, did not work.
CJC-1295 has the stronger evidence, grade B (some human evidence) against grade C for Ipamorelin. Neither is FDA approved.
Evidence
BSome human evidence
CAnimal and cell studies
Human studies cited
Animal or cell studies cited
Why the grade
Two randomized placebo-controlled dose-ranging trials and one overnight sampling study, all in healthy adults, show CJC-1295 raises growth hormone and IGF-1 for days after a single injection. The largest enrolled a few dozen volunteers, measured hormone levels only, and lasted 49 days. No trial has measured muscle, fat, recovery or ageing outcomes, which are the uses it is sold for, so the grade is B on surrogate endpoints only.
For the anti-aging and body-composition use ipamorelin is sold for, no human trial exists. The human data are a 40-volunteer dose-escalation pharmacokinetic study showing a single growth hormone pulse, a 114-patient randomised phase 2 trial in post-operative ileus that found no benefit, and a comparative hormone study of related peptides. The selectivity claim comes from rats and swine.
FDA
Not approved
CJC-1295 is not approved by the FDA for any use and is sold as a research chemical. Its nominations for the compounding bulks list were withdrawn in September 2024, and in December 2024 the FDA's Pharmacy Compounding Advisory Committee voted against adding it, so it is not eligible for pharmacy compounding either.
Not approved
Ipamorelin is not approved by the FDA for any use and is sold online as a research chemical; its development for post-operative ileus was abandoned after a negative phase 2 trial. In 2023 the FDA placed it in Category 2 of its compounding lists, the category for substances with significant safety risks, and it remains there for outsourcing facilities (503B) although the nominations for pharmacy compounding (503A) were withdrawn in 2024. In October 2024 the Pharmacy Compounding Advisory Committee voted 12 to 0, with one abstention, against adding it to the 503A bulks list.
Sold for
CJC-1295 is sold as a long-acting growth-hormone booster for muscle gain, fat loss, sleep and recovery, usually paired with ipamorelin.
Ipamorelin is sold as the cleanest growth hormone secretagogue, for anti-aging, fat loss and muscle, usually paired with CJC-1295.
Studies say
Small trials in healthy volunteers confirm that it raises GH and IGF-1 for a week or more per injection, which is a real pharmacological effect measured on blood tests, but no study has shown it changes body composition or any health outcome.
Ipamorelin releases growth hormone in humans without the cortisol rise seen with GHRP-2 and GHRP-6, but the only outcome trial, in bowel surgery patients, was negative, and no study has measured body composition or aging, so the grade is C.
Class
GHRH analog (secretagogue)
GHRP / ghrelin receptor agonist
Route
Injection
Injection