CJC-1295 / Ipamorelin vs Tesamorelin / Ipamorelin: what is the difference?
Short answer
CJC-1295 / Ipamorelin and Tesamorelin / Ipamorelin are the two ipamorelin blends in this catalog, and they share one half: ipamorelin, a five-amino-acid ghrelin-receptor agonist. The difference is the GHRH analog paired with it, CJC-1295 or tesamorelin. Neither blend has been tested in a trial. Both are compounded medications and not FDA-approved; only branded tesamorelin holds an approval, for one HIV-related indication. Every component is prohibited in sport.
| Key difference | The GHRH analog: CJC-1295 (modified GHRH fragment) versus tesamorelin (stabilized full-length GHRH) |
|---|---|
| Shared component | Ipamorelin, a 5-amino-acid selective ghrelin-receptor agonist |
| Evidence to date | CJC-1295: healthy-adult hormone studies. Tesamorelin: randomized trials in HIV-associated abdominal fat accumulation. Ipamorelin: preclinical plus one negative trial. Neither blend tested |
| Vial ratio | CJC / Ipa vials are usually equal parts; Tesa / Ipa vials are often unequal, with each strength on the label |
| Form in this catalog | Both are subcutaneous injections, supplied already reconstituted |
| Regulatory status | Both compounded, not FDA-approved; neither is the branded tesamorelin product |
| Anti-doping | All three components prohibited at all times (WADA S2) |
| Prescription units | CJC / Ipa in micrograms; Tesa / Ipa written for the tesamorelin amount in milligrams |
| Study type | Sources |
|---|---|
| Human clinical trials | 4 |
| Other human studies | 1 |
| Animal and lab studies | 1 |
| Review articles | 0 |
What are the CJC-1295 / Ipamorelin and Tesamorelin / Ipamorelin blends?
CJC-1295 / Ipamorelin and Tesamorelin / Ipamorelin are built on the same idea: pair a growth-hormone-releasing hormone analog, which acts on the pituitary's GHRH receptor, with ipamorelin, which acts on the ghrelin receptor on the same cells, so that one vial signals the axis through two routes. Ipamorelin is identical in both. It is a synthetic pentapeptide introduced in 1998 as a selective growth hormone secretagogue, and it is not sold on its own here.
The CJC-1295 / Ipamorelin blend uses CJC-1295, a modified analog of the first 29 amino acids of GHRH that exists with DAC (an albumin-binding tail that keeps it circulating for days) or without DAC, also called Mod GRF 1-29; the label must match the prescribed form. The Tesamorelin / Ipamorelin blend uses tesamorelin, the full 44-amino-acid GHRH sequence with a protective group that resists enzymatic breakdown, and the only compound in either blend that has ever held an FDA approval.
How do the two ipamorelin blends differ?
CJC-1295 / Ipamorelin and Tesamorelin / Ipamorelin differ in the GHRH analog, and everything else follows from that: the depth and setting of the human evidence, the regulatory history, the units the prescription is written in, and how the vial is typically proportioned. The ipamorelin half contributes the same thin literature and the same prohibited status to both.
| Feature | CJC-1295 / Ipamorelin | Tesamorelin / Ipamorelin |
|---|---|---|
| GHRH analog | CJC-1295 (GHRH 1-29 fragment, with or without DAC) | Tesamorelin (full-length GHRH, stabilized) |
| Secretagogue | Ipamorelin | Ipamorelin |
| Human evidence for the GHRH analog | Pharmacokinetic and physiology studies in healthy adults; hormone levels only | Randomized trials and a pooled phase 3 analysis in HIV-associated abdominal fat accumulation |
| Evidence for the blend | None | None |
| FDA status | Not FDA-approved; no component approved | Not FDA-approved; branded tesamorelin alone is approved for one HIV-related indication |
| Typical vial | Equal parts of each peptide | Often unequal, more tesamorelin than ipamorelin; each strength on the label |
| Prescription units | Micrograms, per peptide or whole blend | Tesamorelin amount in milligrams |
| WADA | Both components S2, prohibited | Both components S2, prohibited |
Get CJC-1295 / Ipamorelin prescribed, pre-mixed
What does the research cover for each blend?
CJC-1295 / Ipamorelin rests on two 2006 CJC-1295 papers in healthy adults, one a randomized placebo-controlled pharmacokinetic and safety study measuring growth hormone and insulin-like growth factor I secretion, the other a physiology study in healthy men on whether pulsatile growth hormone secretion persisted during continuous stimulation, plus the ipamorelin literature: a 1998 preclinical pharmacology paper and a 2014 randomized proof-of-concept trial in postoperative ileus that did not meet its primary endpoint.
Tesamorelin / Ipamorelin rests on the same ipamorelin literature plus tesamorelin's randomized trials, all in HIV-associated abdominal fat accumulation: a 2007 trial of metabolic effects in patients with HIV, a 2010 pooled analysis of two double-blind, placebo-controlled phase 3 trials in HIV-infected patients with excess abdominal fat, and a 2014 trial measuring visceral fat and liver fat in that population. Neither blend has been tested as a combination, no study has compared the blends, and no trial of any component has examined performance goals in adults without HIV.
How are the two blends prescribed?
CJC-1295 / Ipamorelin and Tesamorelin / Ipamorelin are both prescribed through Peptides.build as compounded medications: a licensed US provider reviews an online intake and, if appropriate, writes a prescription that a licensed 503A pharmacy fills by dissolving both peptides in one vial, shipped already reconstituted with the strengths on the label. The catalog sells both; it also sells tesamorelin alone, but not CJC-1295 alone and not ipamorelin alone.
Which blend, if either, suits a patient is the provider's decision at intake, and it is not a question of which is stronger. The practical differences a patient will notice are on the label and the syringe: a CJC / Ipa prescription is written in micrograms and the vial is usually an equal split, while a Tesa / Ipa prescription is written for the tesamorelin amount in milligrams and the vial is often unequal. The free CJC-1295 / Ipamorelin calculator and the tesamorelin calculator's blend mode on this site each handle their own vial's math. Doses are set by the provider and never published here.
Are the two blends FDA-approved or allowed in sport?
Neither blend is FDA-approved. CJC-1295 and ipamorelin are not FDA-approved for any use. Compounded tesamorelin is not FDA-approved. Tesamorelin itself is FDA-approved under a brand name for one indication only, the reduction of excess abdominal fat in adults with HIV-associated lipodystrophy. The Tesamorelin / Ipamorelin blend is not that branded product. Both blends are compounded medications prepared by a licensed 503A pharmacy for a specific patient, and compounded medications are not reviewed or approved by the FDA the way mass-manufactured drugs are.
Both blends are prohibited in sport at all times, because every component is. The World Anti-Doping Agency names CJC-1295 and tesamorelin under S2 among growth hormone releasing factors and ipamorelin under S2 among growth hormone secretagogues. Drug-tested athletes should check with their governing body before either blend is prescribed.
Prescribed CJC-1295 / Ipamorelin and Tesamorelin / Ipamorelin vs research peptides: what is different?
Prescribed CJC-1295 / Ipamorelin and Tesamorelin / Ipamorelin are not research chemicals. They are prescription medications: a licensed US provider reviews your intake first, and a licensed 503A pharmacy compounds each one for you by name. Vials sold online as “research use only” skip both steps. What you pay for here is that review, a pharmacy you can name, and a label that says what is in the vial.
A research seller’s certificate of analysis is a document the seller controls: it chooses the lab and the sample, and a PDF can be reused, edited or re-dated. No regulator checks it.
| Point | Prescribed through Peptides.build | Research use only |
|---|---|---|
| Access | Online intake reviewed by a licensed US provider; prescribed only when appropriate. | No prescription and no clinical review of whether it suits you. |
| How it's labeled | A prescription medication compounded for you by name. | Commonly sold labeled “research use only, not for human consumption.” |
| Who prepares it | A licensed 503A US compounding pharmacy under state and federal oversight. | Unregulated suppliers, often with no verifiable chain of custody. |
| Testing | Third-party tested. | Certificates of analysis are self-reported when provided at all. |
| Purity and identity | Prepared to a prescription for a specific patient. | Purity, strength, and even identity are unverified by any independent party. |
This compares two care models, not two products. Compounded medications are not FDA-approved, and we do not claim otherwise. What a prescription adds is a licensed provider deciding whether a protocol is appropriate for you and a licensed pharmacy preparing it. Read the full guide to research vs prescription peptides.
CJC-1295 / Ipamorelin vs Tesamorelin / Ipamorelin FAQ
What is the actual difference between the two blends?
Only the GHRH analog. Both pair ipamorelin with a releasing factor that acts on the GHRH receptor; one uses CJC-1295, a modified GHRH fragment, and the other uses tesamorelin, a stabilized full-length GHRH analog with a brand-name approval in one HIV-related indication.
Which blend has more evidence?
Neither blend has been tested as a combination. Of the GHRH analogs, tesamorelin has randomized trials in HIV-associated abdominal fat accumulation, while CJC-1295 has healthy-adult studies that measured hormone secretion only. Ipamorelin contributes the same preclinical work and one negative surgical trial to both.
Is either blend FDA-approved?
No. Both are compounded medications, and compounded medications are not FDA-approved. CJC-1295 and ipamorelin are not FDA-approved for any use; tesamorelin alone is approved under a brand name for one indication only, and the blend is not that product.
Are the blends banned in sport?
Yes, both, at all times. CJC-1295 and tesamorelin are listed by WADA under S2 as growth hormone releasing factors and ipamorelin as a growth hormone secretagogue. Drug-tested athletes should check with their governing body.
Can I switch from one blend to the other?
That is a prescriber decision, not a swap to make at home. The two vials are proportioned differently and their prescriptions are written in different units, so a change means a new prescription and a new label to read.
CJC-1295 / Ipamorelin through Peptides.build
A licensed US provider reviews a short online intake and decides whether a protocol is appropriate. A US 503A pharmacy prepares it already reconstituted, labels the concentration and ships it cold-chain. Dosing is set by the provider and is not published on this site.
Start your CJC-1295 / Ipamorelin visit · from $183/mo- CJC-1295 / Ipamorelin protocol: pricing, who it is for, FAQ
- Tesamorelin / Ipamorelin protocol: pricing, who it is for, FAQ
- All performance protocols compared
- What is the CJC-1295 / Ipamorelin blend?
- What is the Tesamorelin / Ipamorelin blend?
- CJC-1295 vs tesamorelin: what is the difference?
- What is ipamorelin?
References
- Prolonged stimulation of growth hormone (GH) and insulin-like growth factor I secretion by CJC-1295, a long-acting analog of GH-releasing hormone, in healthy adults. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, 2006. doi:10.1210/jc.2005-1536Study type: Randomized controlled trial (healthy adults; pharmacokinetics and safety)
- Pulsatile secretion of growth hormone (GH) persists during continuous stimulation by CJC-1295, a long-acting GH-releasing hormone analog. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, 2006. doi:10.1210/jc.2006-1702Study type: Human physiology study (healthy men)
- Metabolic Effects of a Growth Hormone-Releasing Factor in Patients with HIV. New England Journal of Medicine, 2007. doi:10.1056/NEJMoa072375Study type: Randomized controlled trial (HIV-associated abdominal fat accumulation)
- Effects of tesamorelin (TH9507), a growth hormone-releasing factor analog, in HIV-infected patients with excess abdominal fat: a pooled analysis of two multicenter, double-blind placebo-controlled phase 3 trials with safety extension data. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, 2010. doi:10.1210/jc.2010-0490Study type: Pooled analysis of two phase 3 trials (HIV-associated abdominal fat accumulation)
- Effects of tesamorelin on visceral fat and liver fat in HIV-infected patients with abdominal fat accumulation: a randomized clinical trial. JAMA, 2014. doi:10.1001/jama.2014.8334Study type: Randomized controlled trial (HIV-associated abdominal fat accumulation)
- Ipamorelin, the first selective growth hormone secretagogue. European Journal of Endocrinology, 1998. doi:10.1530/eje.0.1390552Study type: Preclinical pharmacology
Citations are listed with their study type so the evidence can be weighed. Review articles summarize other studies; animal and in vitro findings do not describe outcomes in people.
This article is educational and is not medical advice. The compounded versions discussed here are not FDA-approved; compounded medications are not FDA-approved. No results are implied or guaranteed. Talk to a licensed provider about your own history before starting any protocol.