# CJC-1293: Evidence, Mechanism, Dosing & Legal Status

> A clinical monograph on CJC-1293 — an abandoned albumin-binding GHRH analog from the ConjuChem program that produced CJC-1295. No dedicated human data exist; the evidence grade is D, and it is explicitly banned by WADA.

*Published 2026-06-30 · Updated 2026-07-01 · By Marcus Feld, PharmD, BCPS*

The short answer
CJC-1293 is a genuine but essentially **abandoned developmental intermediate** from the ConjuChem albumin-binding GHRH-analog program — a footnote in the work that produced CJC-1295. **What is proven for CJC-1293 specifically: nothing.** It has no dedicated human trial, no human cohort, no named-animal efficacy study and no published pharmacokinetics under its own name, so its highest evidence grade is **D (anecdotal/mechanistic only)**. It is not FDA-approved and is explicitly banned by WADA.[1](https://peptidevox.com/#r1)[5](https://peptidevox.com/#r5)

CJC-1293 is a synthetic growth-hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH, or "GRF") analog that belongs to the original ConjuChem albumin-binding bioconjugate series — the same R&D program that yielded the far better-known CJC-1295.[1](https://peptidevox.com/#r1) Its popularity in the research-chemical marketplace rests almost entirely on claims borrowed from its sibling. This monograph separates what is actually known about CJC-1293 from what is merely marketed.

*This article is informational and editorial content for research and educational purposes only. It is not medical advice, not a protocol to follow, and not a sourcing guide. CJC-1293 is not an FDA-approved drug; it is sold only as a "research chemical, not for human use" and is prohibited in sport. Dosing figures are reported strictly as seen in vendor and anecdotal sources for completeness — not as recommendations. Consult a licensed clinician before any health decision.*

## What is CJC-1293 and how does it work?

In the foundational ConjuChem work, three maleimido derivatives of human growth-hormone-releasing factor hGRF(1-29) were synthesized and conjugated to human serum albumin to test an "in-vivo bioconjugation" half-life-extension strategy: a reactive maleimido group on the peptide forms a covalent bond to the free thiol of Cys34 on circulating albumin, letting the peptide hitchhike on albumin's roughly 19-day serum residence.[1](https://peptidevox.com/#r1) The three candidates were CJC-1288, CJC-1293 and CJC-1295; the tetrasubstituted CJC-1295 was identified as the best compound and carried forward, while CJC-1293 was effectively dropped.[1](https://peptidevox.com/#r1) The primary paper is openly indexed at [academic.oup.com](https://academic.oup.com/endo/article-abstract/146/7/3052/2500187).

Secondary summaries describe the series as a substitution ladder: CJC-1288 is the base bioconjugate (no backbone substitution); CJC-1293 is CJC-1288 plus a single D-Ala-2 substitution (the change that blocks dipeptidyl-peptidase-IV cleavage of the GHRH N-terminus); and CJC-1295 is the fully tetrasubstituted (positions 2, 8, 15, 27) analog.[1](https://peptidevox.com/#r1) That exact per-position assignment for CJC-1293 comes from secondary aggregations of the paywalled full paper, not a primary source this monograph could verify line-by-line, so treat the specific structure as probable but not independently confirmed. What is solid is that CJC-1293 is a Drug Affinity Complex (albumin-binding) GRF analog, meaning its native design intent was **long-acting**, not short-acting.

The mechanism, by class, is GHRH-receptor agonism. Like all GHRH analogs, CJC-1293 is designed to bind the GHRH receptor, a Gs-coupled receptor on anterior-pituitary somatotrophs; activation raises intracellular cAMP and drives synthesis and pulsatile release of growth hormone, which in turn raises hepatic IGF-1.[1](https://peptidevox.com/#r1)[12](https://peptidevox.com/#r12) No published human or animal pharmacokinetics exist for CJC-1293 by name; by its albumin-binding design it would be expected to behave toward the long-acting end, like CJC-1295, whose albumin-bound species persisted in plasma beyond 72 hours in rats.[2](https://peptidevox.com/#r2)

## What is the evidence by indication?

The bottom line up front: there are no studies of CJC-1293 as a stand-alone agent for any indication in humans or in published, named animal models. Every row below is therefore inference from the CJC-1295 family, and CJC-1293 is graded D across the board.

  CJC-1293 evidence by indication

    IndicationBest evidenceGrade (CJC-1293)

    GH / IGF-1 stimulationNone for CJC-1293; sibling CJC-1295 raised GH 2-10x and IGF-1 1.5-3x in a small early-phase human studyD (B for CJC-1295)
    HIV-associated lipodystrophy / body compositionNone for CJC-1293; CJC-1295 Phase 2 program was discontinued after a participant deathD
    Muscle gain, fat loss, anti-aging, recovery, sleepVendor / consumer marketing claims only; no controlled human evidenceD (anecdotal)

The only mechanistic "indication" with any human signal in the family is GH/IGF-1 stimulation — and that signal belongs to CJC-1295, not CJC-1293. In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled ascending-dose study in healthy adults aged 21 to 61, single subcutaneous CJC-1295 doses of 30, 60, 125 and 250 micrograms per kilogram raised mean plasma GH 2- to 10-fold for at least 6 days and IGF-1 1.5- to 3-fold for 9 to 11 days, while preserving pulsatile secretion; injection-site reactions occurred in roughly 80% of subjects.[2](https://peptidevox.com/#r2) This is human evidence for CJC-1295, and even for CJC-1295 it is small, early-phase and surrogate-endpoint data — grade B at best. A preclinical anchor showed once-daily CJC-1295 normalized growth in the GHRH-knockout mouse, confirming on-target agonism for the lead compound; no equivalent study names CJC-1293.[3](https://peptidevox.com/#r3)

For body composition, ConjuChem advanced CJC-1295 — not CJC-1293 — into a Phase 2 program in HIV-associated lipodystrophy and GH-axis indications. That program was discontinued after a participant death, which the attending physician attributed to pre-existing coronary disease judged unrelated to the drug, but development ended as a precaution and the compound was effectively abandoned.[4](https://peptidevox.com/#r4)[8](https://peptidevox.com/#r8) CJC-1293 was never developed this far. The muscle-gain, fat-loss, anti-aging, recovery and sleep claims attached to CJC-1293 in the consumer market have no controlled human support whatsoever.[13](https://peptidevox.com/#r13)

Proven vs hyped
Proven for CJC-1293: nothing. Hyped: essentially all of its marketed benefits, which are borrowed from CJC-1295. Worse, at least one vendor markets CJC-1293 as short-acting and frequently dosed — which directly contradicts its long-acting albumin-binding design and suggests the product may not be what the name implies.[13](https://peptidevox.com/#r13)

## What doses appear in the literature, and how safe is it?

Reported strictly as information, not a protocol. No legitimate clinical dosing exists for CJC-1293 because it was never clinically developed under its own name. Consumer pages describe roughly 100 to 200 micrograms per subcutaneous injection, framed as needing more frequent administration than CJC-1295 — an unverified marketing claim (grade D) that is internally inconsistent with the molecule's long-acting DAC design.[13](https://peptidevox.com/#r13) Clinical-trial dosing exists only for the sibling CJC-1295, where single subcutaneous doses of 30 to 250 micrograms per kilogram were studied and a roughly once-weekly cadence followed from its 6- to 8-day half-life; those numbers are not transferable to CJC-1293 as evidence.[2](https://peptidevox.com/#r2)

There is no CJC-1293-specific safety dataset, so all safety expectations come from the class. The dominant adverse event for CJC-1295 was injection-site reactions (around 80% of subjects), along with flushing, headache and transient fluid retention — the classic GH/IGF-1-axis effects.[2](https://peptidevox.com/#r2) The development-ending death in the CJC-1295 Phase 2 program (attributed to pre-existing coronary disease) is part of why the FDA later flagged this class for heart-related concerns.[4](https://peptidevox.com/#r4)[8](https://peptidevox.com/#r8) The most important theoretical risk is mechanistic: sustained IGF-1 elevation is a plausible mitogenic, tumor-promotion concern because IGF-1 is a growth factor, alongside insulin-resistance, fluid-retention, arthralgia and carpal-tunnel-type concerns, plus the impurity and immunogenicity hazards specific to non-pharmaceutical research-chemical peptides.[8](https://peptidevox.com/#r8)[7](https://peptidevox.com/#r7) From a functional, root-cause lens, pharmacologically forcing the GH/IGF-1 axis does nothing to address why the axis is low (sleep debt, chronic stress, insulin resistance, undernutrition, inflammation) and carries the mitogenic downside without a validated benefit. Active or prior malignancy, pregnancy, lactation, pediatric use and uncontrolled endocrine disease are all class precautions.

## What is the FDA and WADA status in 2026?

CJC-1293 has no FDA approval for any indication and is not a named bulks-list substance. The FDA's compounding-bulk-substance actions in this area targeted the CJC-1295 family, not CJC-1293 by name: CJC-1295 was placed in 503A Category 2 in September 2023, then removed in September 2024 after the nominators withdrew their nominations amid litigation.[10](https://peptidevox.com/#r10)[7](https://peptidevox.com/#r7) A December 2024 Pharmacy Compounding Advisory Committee review voted against adding the CJC-1295 bulk substances to the 503A list, citing insufficient human safety data and a lack of reproducible efficacy.[9](https://peptidevox.com/#r9)[11](https://peptidevox.com/#r11) CJC-1293 was not part of that docket at all, meaning it has even less of a path to legitimate compounded access than CJC-1295. It is sold online only as a research reagent explicitly labeled not for human consumption, outside FDA quality oversight.[13](https://peptidevox.com/#r13)

For athletes the picture is unambiguous. CJC-1293 is explicitly named on the WADA Prohibited List under category S2.2 (Growth Hormone Releasing Factors), alongside CJC-1295, sermorelin and tesamorelin; the 2026 list took effect on January 1, 2026, and these substances are banned both in and out of competition with no performance Therapeutic Use Exemption pathway.[5](https://peptidevox.com/#r5)[6](https://peptidevox.com/#r6) GHRH analogs in this class are detectable in anti-doping testing.[12](https://peptidevox.com/#r12) CJC-1293 is not a DEA-controlled substance; the legality of human use is governed by FDA drug law as an unapproved new drug, not the Controlled Substances Act.

**Bottom line.** CJC-1293 is a thin-evidence curiosity — an abandoned intermediate whose every marketed benefit is borrowed from CJC-1295 and unproven for CJC-1293 itself. Anyone genuinely researching this molecule should default to the deeper CJC-1295 record, where what little real human evidence in this class actually lives, and treat CJC-1293's marketing copy with skepticism. Regulatory facts here are current as of June 2026 and should be re-verified after any subsequent PCAC or WADA updates.

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Source: https://peptidevox.com/peptide-encyclopedia/tesamorelin-frag
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