Educational comparison — not medical advice. This page compares two compounds for informational purposes. Neither is recommended as treatment. Any protocol decision is a conversation with your licensed healthcare provider.
Tesamorelin is a stabilized GHRH analog with ~26 min half-life — strong pulsatile GH release, daily dosing, FDA-approved. CJC-1295 is also GHRH-based but modified with a DAC (drug affinity complex) extending half-life to ~7 days — provides tonic GH elevation rather than pulses. Community preference tends toward tesamorelin for the more physiologic pulse profile; CJC-1295 users often choose the "no DAC" version for the same reason.
FEATURE COMPARISON
Tesamorelin
CJC-1295
Full name
Tesamorelin (Egrifta)
CJC-1295 (no DAC)
Category
Growth
Growth
FDA status
FDA-approved as Egrifta for HIV-associated lipodystrophy. Widely used off-label.
Not FDA-approved. Category 1 under the 2026 reclassification.
Half-life
~26 minutes
~30 minutes (no DAC); several days (with DAC)
Typical dosing
1–2 mg nightly, subcutaneous, on an empty stomach
100–200 mcg SC, 1–3× per day (typically no-DAC version)
Route
Subcutaneous (abdominal)
Subcutaneous
Classification
Synthetic GHRH (growth hormone releasing hormone) analog
Informational only — neither compound is presented as a treatment for any condition. These are contexts in which users research these compounds and discuss them with their licensed provider.
Informational comparison only — not medical advice. Research-stage compounds discussed are not FDA-approved unless specifically noted. Any protocol decision should be made with a licensed healthcare provider.