CJC-1295 vs Sermorelin
Side by side: what studies show, whether it is legal, doping and risks. No winner is shown on purpose.
 CJC-1295 |  Sermorelin | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | A synthetic, long-acting version of the brain hormone that tells the body to release growth hormone. In a few early studies in healthy adults it raised growth hormone and IGF-1 in the blood. Nobody measured muscle. Not an approved medicine. | A fragment of the hormone that tells the body to release growth hormone. It was sold in the US as Geref for testing and treating children short of growth hormone. The maker stopped selling it in 2008 and the approval was withdrawn in 2009. |
| Stage | Work stopped | Work stopped |
| Is it legal (PL) | No approval. The European medicines database (EMA) lists no such medicine in Poland (9 October 2026). The Polish register was down, so we could not check it directly. | No approval. The European medicines database (EMA) lists no such medicine in Poland (9 October 2026). The Polish register was down, so we could not check it directly. |
| Is it legal (EU) | No approval. The European medicines database (EMA), which covers EU and national approvals, lists no such medicine (9 October 2026). | No approval. The European medicines database (EMA), which covers EU and national approvals, lists no such medicine (9 October 2026). |
| Is it legal (US) | No approval. The FDA drug register has no such medicine. | No approval. The FDA register marks Geref as withdrawn. |
| Doping | Banned in sport, WADA 2026 | Banned in sport, WADA 2026 |
| Safety | Little data | Little data |
| Risk of fakes | Medium | Medium |
| Muscle mass | C Not clear. In studies with random groups in healthy adults, it raised growth hormone and IGF-1, a hormone made in response to it, for several days. Nobody measured muscle or strength. | D Conflicting results. Two small studies without a true comparison group. In 19 people aged 55 to 71, everyone got placebo first, then the drug, and body mass without fat rose in men but not in women. In 11 men aged 64 to 76, scans showed no change in muscle or fat after 6 weeks. No study tested people who train. |
| Strength | – | D Conflicting results. One small study of 11 healthy men aged 64 to 76, with no comparison group: after 6 weeks 2 of 6 strength tests and one endurance test improved, the others did not, and muscle size did not change. No study tested people who train. |
| Fat loss | – | D Not clear. Two small studies in older adults without a true comparison group (19 and 11 people) found no clear change in body fat apart from a rise in body mass without fat in men. Nobody studied people trying to lose fat. |