AOD-9604

The fat-burning tail of growth hormone, without the rest. Very safe in people, and unproven for weight loss.

Evidence: BHuman trials what's this?
Grade B for safety (six RCTs, ~900 people). Its pivotal weight-loss trial was negative.
Also known as: Anti-Obesity Drug 9604 · Tyr-hGH(177–191)
Class: Synthetic 16-amino-acid fragment from the C-terminal end of human growth hormone

The 30-second version

WhatResidues 177–191 of growth hormone plus one tyrosine, designed to keep only GH’s fat-burning action.

What we knowAcross six controlled trials its side effects looked like placebo, with no rise in IGF-1 or glucose.

The honest catchThe 24-week pivotal trial didn’t beat placebo, and obesity development ended in 2007.

What it is

Growth hormone does many things, and one of them is breaking down fat. In the 1990s researchers at Monash University isolated the part of GH responsible for that, residues 177–191, and added a tyrosine for stability. The goal was fat loss without GH’s effects on IGF-1, tissue growth or blood sugar. Metabolic Pharmaceuticals took it through a full human obesity programme.

How it works

Reaches fat cells. Barely binds the GH receptor and doesn’t raise IGF-1, which was the design goal.

β3 switch. Animal work suggests it increases β3-adrenoceptors, a fat-burning switch on fat cells.

Lipolysis. Stored fat is broken down and released.

Less storage. New fat building (lipogenesis) is dampened.

Outcome. Less fat in obese mice with no change in appetite. In people the effect was acute only.

What the research shows

In people. Six randomised, placebo-controlled trials ran between 2001 and 2006 with about 900 adults, more human testing than most compounds in this guide will ever get³. An early Phase 2 study reported about 2 kg more weight loss than placebo over 12 weeks. The larger Phase 2b trials used oral doses of 0.25–1 mg a day for 24 weeks. They didn’t produce meaningful weight loss over placebo, and in February 2007 the company ended obesity development⁴. Safety was another matter: side effects looked like placebo, with no IGF-1 rise, no glucose impairment and no antibodies³.

In animals. In obese mice both GH and the fragment reduced body fat, and work in β3-receptor knockout mice pointed to that receptor as part of the mechanism^1,2. Genetically obese rodents turned out to be a poor guide to what happens in people.

Safe and effective are two separate questions. AOD-9604 has a good answer to the first one only.

Evidence at a glance

Use	Grade	Best evidence	Main gap	Read
Weight loss	BHuman trials	Pivotal 24-week trial was negative⁴	No efficacy shown	Unproven
Acute fat burning	BHuman trials	Single doses caused lipolysis in obese adults³	Short-lived	Real but brief
Safety	BHuman trials	Like placebo; no IGF-1 or glucose effect³	—	Clean
Joints / cartilage	ELab & animal	Explored after obesity programme	Thin human data	Speculative

Dosing: what has been reported

Not a recommendation. These figures describe what was studied or what circulates in practice, kept separate so you can see how solid each one is. Speak with a qualified clinician before acting on any of it.

Setting	Figure	Route	Grade
Published human	IV single doses 25–400 mcg/kg; oral 0.25–1 mg daily for up to 24 weeks³	IV / oral	B
Clinic off-label	About 300 mcg/day, compounded	Subcutaneous	C
Community	250–500 mcg/day, often 5 days on and 2 off, in the morning before eating	Subcutaneous	D

Community use is in the morning before eating, because insulin blunts fat breakdown. None of these schedules is backed by a positive efficacy trial.

Preparing & storing

AOD-9604 is hydrophobic and can stay cloudy in plain water. Start with bacteriostatic water. If gentle swirling doesn’t clear it, a dilute acetic-acid solvent usually will. Refrigerate once mixed and don’t shake it.

Reported side effects

Injection-site redness, itch or a small lump
Occasional early headache
Uncommon mild fatigue or flushing

One of the cleanest human safety records in this guide: no serious adverse events were linked to it in the trials.

Who should avoid it

Tested athletes: WADA prohibited as a GH fragment, and detectable⁵
Pregnancy and breastfeeding (not studied)
Active cancer: GH-related pathways warrant a doctor’s input
Anyone expecting proven weight loss

Regulatory status checked Oct 2026

Body	Status	Detail
FDA (US)	Not approved	Food-ingredient status has been contested; under compounding review.
EMA (EU)	Not approved	No marketing authorisation.
CDSCO (India)	Not approved	No approval identified.
WADA	Prohibited	Growth-hormone-fragment category, banned at all times.

The NexGen read

Very well tolerated, and the evidence doesn’t back the main claim

AOD-9604 has more human trial data than most peptides, and that data shows it is safe. The same data shows it did not produce meaningful weight loss. Use that to set expectations, and remember it is banned in tested sport.

References

Ng FM, Sun J, Sharma L, et al. Metabolic studies of a synthetic lipolytic domain (AOD9604) of human growth hormone. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2000;921:262–272. PMID 11146367
Heffernan M, Summers RJ, Thorburn A, et al. Effects of hGH and AOD9604 on lipid metabolism in obese and β3-AR knockout mice. Endocrinology. 2001;142(12):5182–5189. PMID 11713213
Stier H, Vos E, Kenley D. Safety and tolerability of the hexadecapeptide AOD9604 in humans. J Endocrinol Metab. 2013;3(1–2):7–15.
Metabolic Pharmaceuticals. Phase 2B results for AOD9604 (obesity). ASX announcement, 21 February 2007.
Cox HD, Eichner D, Bowers L, et al. Detection and in vitro metabolism of AOD9604. Drug Test Anal. 2015;7(9):808–814. PMID 25208511