Emerging evidence · Grade B
AOD-9604
Advanced Obesity Drug 9604
Score
58 / 100
Origin
hGH fragment 177-191
Human trials
Failed for weight loss
Status
Investigational / abandoned
TL;DR
01
A modified fragment of human growth hormone (hGH 177-191) developed as an anti-obesity drug, marketed on the idea that it burns fat without growth hormone's other effects.
02
In obese mice it did promote fat loss and lipolysis — the animal data looked promising.
03
But its human clinical trials were a disappointment: in controlled studies it failed to produce meaningful weight loss beyond placebo.
04
It was not approved as an obesity drug; development for that use effectively stalled after the negative human results.
05
It is now sold as a research/compounded product, with the marketing leaning on the mouse data rather than the failed human trials.
Mouse fat loss
Positive
lipolytic in obese mice
Human weight loss
Failed
no benefit vs placebo
Mechanism
Lipolytic fragment
β3-AR-linked (animal)
Approval
None
obesity development stalled
Marketing basis
Mouse data
not human trials
Part 01 · How it works
Mechanism.
AOD-9604 is a snippet from the tail end of growth hormone, chosen because that region seemed to carry GH's fat-burning action without its blood-sugar and growth effects. In obese mice it worked — increasing fat breakdown and reducing body weight. The trouble came in people: when it was actually tested in controlled human trials, it didn't produce meaningful weight loss compared to placebo, and it was never approved for obesity. What's sold today rides on the encouraging mouse data while glossing over the human trials that didn't pan out.
The 'fat-burning' piece of growth hormone that slimmed down mice — but when humans tried it in trials, the scale didn't move more than placebo.
hGH C-terminal fragment
Corresponds to hGH residues 177-191; designed to retain lipolytic activity without GH's metabolic effects.
Lipolysis (animal)
Reduced body weight/fat and increased β3-adrenergic receptor expression in obese mice.
Human failure
Controlled human obesity trials did not show meaningful weight loss over placebo.
Evidence stage
Positive animal data; negative human trials; not approved for obesity.
Part 02 · Dosing & administration
How it's taken.
Community-reported · unregulatedValues below reflect commonly reported community protocols for AOD-9604. These are anecdotal and unregulated — not clinically validated and not a recommendation. Provided for educational purposes only — this is not medical advice and not instructions for self-administration. Consult your healthcare provider before making any health decision.
Wk 1–2
250 mcg/day
Assess tolerance, fasted AM
TARGET
Wk 3–8
300 mcg/day
Fasted AM, 5-on/2-off
·
Community SC protocols run 250–300 mcg/day fasted AM. Note: the actual human trials used ORAL dosing (~1 mg/day), so the injectable microgram figure is a community convention, not the trial regimen.
·
In the pivotal Phase 2b obesity trial AOD-9604 did NOT beat placebo on weight loss and development was halted (~2007) — safety looked benign but efficacy was not established.
·
No FDA-approved therapeutic dose; research/compounded supply is unregulated with no purity/dose guarantee.
Need help with reconstitution?
Use the free peptide calculator for dilution, unit conversion, and injection volume.
Part 03 · Safety
Side effects, rare serious events, who shouldn't.
Common
Injection-site reactions
Generally mild in trials.
Reported
General tolerability
Well tolerated in trials — but without efficacy.
Reported good
Serious · rare
Long-term safety
Limited long-term human data.
Limited data
Product-quality risk
Research/compounded supply; purity/dose unknown.
Source-dependent
Absolute · do not use
×
Pregnancy or breastfeeding
×
Children under 18
×
Known hypersensitivity to AOD-9604 or any component
×
Active malignancy
×
History of medullary thyroid carcinoma (theoretical; GH fragment)
Relative · discuss first
!
Anyone seeking proven weight loss — human trials did not support it
!
Pregnancy or breastfeeding — no data
!
Reliance on it in place of evidence-based obesity care
Interactions
Insulin
AOD-9604 is a GH fragment that may affect glucose metabolism; monitor blood glucose closely
Moderate
Oral hypoglycemics (metformin, sulfonylureas)
Theoretical additive effect on glucose and lipid metabolism
Moderate
Growth hormone therapy
Overlapping mechanism via GH receptor pathways; may have additive or antagonistic effects
Moderate
Labs to monitor
Fasting Insulin & Glucose
Baseline and monthly
Monitor metabolic effects and glucose homeostasis
Fasting Lipid Panel
Baseline and every 3 months
Track lipid changes with fat metabolism modulation
CMP (Comprehensive Metabolic Panel)
Baseline and every 3 months
Liver and kidney function
IGF-1
Baseline and at 6 weeks
Confirm no GH-like effects on IGF-1
CBC with Differential
Baseline and every 3 months
General safety monitoring
Part 04 · Evidence
How strong is the evidence?
58
Grade B
Grade B, Emerging — but read it as 'tested and disappointing.' Encouraging mouse lipolysis did not translate: human obesity trials failed to beat placebo, and it was never approved. The marketing leans on animal data, not the human results.
Mechanistic plausibility
A plausible lipolytic fragment concept, supported in animals.
65
Human evidence
Human obesity trials did not show meaningful weight loss vs placebo.
40
Safety & tolerability
Generally well tolerated in trials — but that's cold comfort without efficacy.
68
Durability
No durable human benefit demonstrated.
45
Independence
Studied in company and academic settings; the negative human result is informative.
60
Part 05 · Research log
Every study we cite.
We list each study with its methodology, funding source, and our quality grade. Flagged studies aren't dismissed — they're tagged so you can weigh them.
01
2001
Endocrinology Flagged
hGH and its lipolytic fragment (AOD9604) on lipid metabolism in obese mice
AOD9604 reduced body weight/fat and increased β3-AR expression in obese mice; effects were lost in β3-AR knock-outs — the foundational (animal) rationale.
Chronic dosing in obese and β3-AR knock-out mice · Animal mechanism; the human translation later failed.
PMID 11713213 ↗
Moderate (preclinical)
Evidence against
What didn't work, and where the evidence is thin.
Every publication is incentivized to tell you a peptide works. We catalogue the null results, failed trials, and mechanism limits we found in the same literature — so you can weigh them against the upside, with your provider.
01
Human obesity trials failed to beat placebo
Failed trial development history · 2001
Despite promising mouse lipolysis, AOD-9604's controlled human obesity trials did not demonstrate meaningful weight loss over placebo, and it was not approved for obesity; development for that indication effectively stalled.
What this means: This is a drug that was actually tested in people and did not work for its headline use. The consumer marketing relies on animal data the human trials contradicted.
02
Marketed on the animal data, not the human result
Mechanism limit Endocrinology · 2001
The compelling story — fat loss without GH's downsides — is a mouse story. Consumer AOD-9604 is a research/compounded product sold largely on that preclinical narrative.
What this means: Buying AOD-9604 for fat loss means paying for a hypothesis the human trials already tested and did not support.
PMID 11713213 ↗
Part 06 · Cost & access
Where it's available, at what price.
United States
Not approved
Not approved for obesity; sold as research/compounded.
Grey-market/compounded; unregulated
European Union
Not approved
Not approved.
N/A
United Kingdom
Not approved
Not approved.
N/A
Australia
Not approved (obesity)
Developed there; not approved as an obesity drug.
N/A
The Peptide Column takes no affiliate commission from any source. AOD-9604 failed its human obesity trials and is not approved; consumer supply is research/compounded and unregulated, and its fat-loss benefit is not supported in people. We link only to clinician-directed care, never to sellers.
Part 07 · Your appointment
Questions to bring.
01
Why did AOD-9604 fail its Phase III obesity trial, and what does that mean for its use today?
02
Does AOD-9604 affect IGF-1 levels or insulin sensitivity like regular growth hormone?
03
What is the evidence for AOD-9604 in joint repair or osteoarthritis?
04
How do I know if the AOD-9604 I'm being offered is pharmaceutical quality?
References
Every citation, numbered.
Citation list. For our editorial read of each study — including bias flags and quality grades — see the Research log above.
- 01. hGH and its lipolytic fragment (AOD9604) on lipid metabolism in obese mice · Endocrinology, 2001 · PMID 11713213 ↗
- 02. Development history. AOD-9604 (Metabolic Pharmaceuticals) obesity program