AOD-9604
What do these badges mean?
Evidence tier
- AHuman-validated — Human trials showing positive results and good safety.
- BAnimal-grade — No human trials yet, but solid animal/preclinical evidence of effect and safety.
- CAnecdotal — No human or animal trials — only anecdotal/observational reports.
- DInsufficient evidence — No or insufficient evidence (encyclopedia only — never recommended by the builder).
Safety light
- 🟢 Green — Only mild, manageable side effects; reasonable safety data.
- 🟡 Yellow — Needs active management, has a meaningful contraindication/interaction, or has thin long-term data.
- 🔴 Red — Risk of a hospital-level event — treat with serious caution.
Browse-only — not on the protocol builder's curated shortlist, so the builder won't recommend it.
What is it?
AOD-9604 (“Anti-Obesity Drug 9604”) is a modified C-terminal fragment of human growth hormone, corresponding to amino acids ~176-191 of the HGH molecule with a tyrosine modification added for stability. It was developed by Metabolic Pharmaceuticals (Australia) specifically to isolate HGH’s fat-metabolizing activity without the growth-promoting, blood-sugar, or IGF-1 effects of the full hormone. thepeptidelist.com files it under weight-loss (secondary: growth-hormone).
AOD-9604 is one of two closely related GH C-terminal fragments in this evidence family — the other is HGH Fragment 176-191, the bare, unstabilized version of the same fragment. AOD-9604 is the modified, stabilized analog; both share the same underlying premise and the same negative-Phase-2 lineage.
What does it do in my body?
Per thepeptidelist.com: an HGH fragment (amino acids 177-191) that may stimulate lipolysis (fat breakdown) and inhibit lipogenesis (fat formation) without affecting blood sugar or growth.
The appeal of the mechanism is exactly that decoupling — the fat-loss part of growth hormone without the GH-axis baggage. That’s the theory the molecule was built on. The 0035 grading notes AOD has no GH-axis effect, which is why its safety profile is benign.
How can it help me?
- Where the science stands: Human Phase 2 obesity trial conducted — failed the primary weight-loss endpoint; 8 human studies cited, 0 identified RCTs
The full evidence — every human, animal, and lab study, graded — is one tap away: use the See the deeper science → toggle at the top.
Is it dangerous? What are the side effects?
The benign side of AOD-9604’s story: because the molecule has no GH-axis effect and doesn’t touch blood sugar, it doesn’t carry the classic growth-hormone side-effect profile (edema, joint pain, insulin resistance). No specific adverse-event signal is documented in the source material beyond the general research-chemical caveats (unverified vial contents, gray-market supply risk). The real caution here isn’t safety — it’s efficacy: the molecule is marketed as a fat-burner despite its own Phase 2 RCT failing to show weight loss.
Regulatory status: Not FDA-approved for human use. Sold as a research chemical. Per thepeptidelist.com, AOD-9604 was removed from the compounding nomination list: “HGH fragment not eligible for compounding” (status date 2024-03-21), placing it in the FDA banned_from_compounding category. OHM grade: C / green, PRIMARY lose-weight (the C-tier reflects a real human Ph2 that happened to be negative — not absence of data).
Typical dosing
Educational context only — talk to a licensed medical provider before any protocol. What follows describes the doses and schedules most commonly reported in the research and by practitioners, shared so you can have an informed conversation. These compounds are sold for research use only, are not FDA-approved drugs, and this is not medical advice.
For educational purposes — this documents what the practitioner community uses, not a prescription.
The community convention typically cited is ~300 mcg/day subcutaneous, often AM/fasted, in 8-week-on/off blocks — but treat that as forum/practitioner convention, not trial-derived, and note that the human trial that does exist was negative on the endpoint the dose is aimed at.
What should I avoid combining — and what's synergistic?
AOD-9604 doesn't have a dedicated stacking protocol in our notes — the interactions that matter most are in the safety section above. For how people combine it with other peptides, the deeper-science view has the full detail.
Where do people source this?
OHM does not sell or handle any compound. Research-use-only material is sold by third-party vendors; our vetting notes and disclosures are on the Where to buy page. If you'd rather have a physician in the loop, see the telehealth option. Whatever the route, the supply chain is the real risk: only consider vendors that publish batch-level third-party Certificates of Analysis.
A modified fragment of human growth hormone built to isolate HGH’s fat-metabolizing activity from its growth and blood-sugar effects — and one of the rare research peptides that actually got a real human obesity trial. The trial said no.
| Class | Modified C-terminal fragment of human growth hormone (amino acids ~176-191, tyrosine-modified for stability) |
| Mechanism (one line) | Claimed to increase lipolysis (fat breakdown) and decrease lipogenesis (fat formation) without affecting blood sugar or growth |
| Evidence base | Human Phase 2 obesity trial conducted — failed the primary weight-loss endpoint; 8 human studies cited, 0 identified RCTs |
| Safety record | Benign — no GH-axis effect, no blood-sugar effect; the molecule itself is not the problem, the efficacy claim is |
| Regulatory status | Not FDA-approved; sold as a research chemical; removed from the FDA compounding nomination list (“HGH fragment not eligible for compounding,” status date 2024-03-21) |
What it is
AOD-9604 (“Anti-Obesity Drug 9604”) is a modified C-terminal fragment of human growth hormone, corresponding to amino acids ~176-191 of the HGH molecule with a tyrosine modification added for stability. It was developed by Metabolic Pharmaceuticals (Australia) specifically to isolate HGH’s fat-metabolizing activity without the growth-promoting, blood-sugar, or IGF-1 effects of the full hormone. thepeptidelist.com files it under weight-loss (secondary: growth-hormone).
AOD-9604 is one of two closely related GH C-terminal fragments in this evidence family — the other is HGH Fragment 176-191, the bare, unstabilized version of the same fragment. AOD-9604 is the modified, stabilized analog; both share the same underlying premise and the same negative-Phase-2 lineage.
How it works
Per thepeptidelist.com: an HGH fragment (amino acids 177-191) that may stimulate lipolysis (fat breakdown) and inhibit lipogenesis (fat formation) without affecting blood sugar or growth.
The appeal of the mechanism is exactly that decoupling — the fat-loss part of growth hormone without the GH-axis baggage. That’s the theory the molecule was built on. The 0035 grading notes AOD has no GH-axis effect, which is why its safety profile is benign.
What the research shows
The honest headline: AOD-9604 has real human data, and the human data is negative for weight loss.
- Phase 2 obesity trials FAILED the primary endpoint — no significant weight loss vs placebo. That failure is why the molecule lost commercial development.
- thepeptidelist.com’s own evidence summary: “Eight human studies of AOD-9604 have been conducted, with no randomized controlled trials identified.” The site grades it Emerging (10 studies cited, 0 RCTs).
- Several of the cited studies are not efficacy work at all — they are anti-doping analytical-method papers (Thevis group) examining how to detect the compound, including the finding that AOD-9604 does not trigger the WADA hGH isoform immunoassay (Orlovius et al., Drug Test Anal 2013, PMID 24124033).
- A more recent orthopedic-peptide review (Rahman, Lee, Seeds; J Am Acad Orthop Surg Glob Res Rev 2026, PMID 41490200) lists AOD among peptides examined for orthopedic application — a separate research thread from fat loss.
The honest read (per OHM doctrine: lead with the failed Phase 2): AOD-9604 is one of the rare research peptides that actually got a real human obesity trial — and the trial said it doesn’t produce significant weight loss. The molecule is widely marketed as a fat-loss peptide; its own RCT base does not back that claim. Surfacing that honestly is the authority play, not amplifying the marketing.
Real-world protocol
The doses and schedules here are for educational and informational purposes only. These peptides are sold for research use only and are not FDA-approved drugs. This is not medical advice.
For educational purposes — this documents what the practitioner community uses, not a prescription.
The community convention typically cited is ~300 mcg/day subcutaneous, often AM/fasted, in 8-week-on/off blocks — but treat that as forum/practitioner convention, not trial-derived, and note that the human trial that does exist was negative on the endpoint the dose is aimed at.
Side effects & management
The benign side of AOD-9604’s story: because the molecule has no GH-axis effect and doesn’t touch blood sugar, it doesn’t carry the classic growth-hormone side-effect profile (edema, joint pain, insulin resistance). No specific adverse-event signal is documented in the source material beyond the general research-chemical caveats (unverified vial contents, gray-market supply risk). The real caution here isn’t safety — it’s efficacy: the molecule is marketed as a fat-burner despite its own Phase 2 RCT failing to show weight loss.
Regulatory status
Not FDA-approved for human use. Sold as a research chemical. Per thepeptidelist.com, AOD-9604 was removed from the compounding nomination list: “HGH fragment not eligible for compounding” (status date 2024-03-21), placing it in the FDA banned_from_compounding category. OHM grade: C / green, PRIMARY lose-weight (the C-tier reflects a real human Ph2 that happened to be negative — not absence of data).
Sources
- thepeptidelist.com directory profile; primary source for mechanism, evidence tier, regulatory status, and cited PMIDs (all site-derived citations carry per KB doctrine).
- OHM tier/safety/goal grading (C/green, PRIMARY lose-weight), including the failed-Phase-2 note.
- PMIDs cited: 24124033 (Orlovius et al. 2013, Drug Test Anal, anti-doping detection method), 41490200 (Rahman, Lee, Seeds 2026, J Am Acad Orthop Surg Glob Res Rev, orthopedic peptide review).
Related: HGH Fragment 176-191 · Retatrutide · Tesamorelin · MOTS-c · The GLP-1 Pipeline (2026).
Sources & references
- thepeptidelist.com directory profile; primary source for mechanism, evidence tier, regulatory status, and cited PMIDs (all site-derived citations carry per KB doctrine).
- OHM tier/safety/goal grading (C/green, PRIMARY lose-weight), including the failed-Phase-2 note.
- PMIDs cited: 24124033 (Orlovius et al. 2013, Drug Test Anal, anti-doping detection method), 41490200 (Rahman, Lee, Seeds 2026, J Am Acad Orthop Surg Glob Res Rev, orthopedic peptide review).
Related: HGH Fragment 176-191 · Retatrutide · Tesamorelin · MOTS-c · The GLP-1 Pipeline (2026).