Is AOD-9604 an approved medication?

No. It is not approved as a drug anywhere. It has held limited food-ingredient status in some contexts, but that is not a therapeutic approval and does not mean it works for fat loss.

Is it the same as growth hormone?

It is a fragment (residues 176-191) of growth hormone. In testing it did not show growth-hormone-like isoform activity, so it is not equivalent to hGH.

Why is there so little human evidence?

The obesity development program did not produce a positive, peer-reviewed human efficacy trial, and the program was abandoned in the mid-2000s. Most rigorous data remain preclinical.

Is consumer-sold AOD-9604 safe?

It is unapproved, so any product sold to consumers is unregulated in purity and identity, long-term human safety is unknown, and its central benefit claim is not supported by controlled human trials.

Research chemical — not approvedaka Anti-Obesity Drug 9604, hGH fragment 176-191

AOD-9604 — Complete Research Guide (2026)

Last updated 2026-06-25

TL;DR

A modified fragment of human growth hormone (176-191) investigated for fat-metabolism effects; failed to show significant weight-loss efficacy in trials.

What is AOD-9604?

AOD-9604 is a synthetic peptide corresponding to the C-terminal fragment (residues 176-191) of human growth hormone, developed with the aim of isolating a fat-metabolism effect without growth hormone's broader hormonal actions. It is NOT approved as a drug for weight loss or any other indication in any jurisdiction (it has held limited food-ingredient/GRAS-type status in some contexts, which is not a therapeutic approval).

The most reliable published evidence is preclinical (mouse and in-vitro); robust peer-reviewed human efficacy data are lacking, and its former obesity development program is not represented by a PubMed-indexed positive human RCT.

How does AOD-9604 work?

In animal and in-vitro models AOD-9604 is reported to stimulate lipolysis (fat breakdown) and reduce lipogenesis, mimicking the lipolytic C-terminal domain of growth hormone, while reportedly not raising IGF-1 or affecting blood glucose the way full growth hormone does. [INFOGRAPHIC: AOD-9604 lipolytic hGH fragment]

What does the research say about AOD-9604?

Human weight-loss efficacy is unproven: AOD-9604's fat-loss effects have been demonstrated mainly in obese-mouse models, and there is no PubMed-indexed human randomized controlled trial showing statistically significant weight loss versus placebo. The company-run phase 2b obesity trial reportedly failed to beat placebo, and its obesity development was abandoned. ^[2]
In in-vitro and animal metabolic studies, AOD-9604 stimulated fat breakdown and inhibited fat accumulation, reproducing the lipolytic activity of growth hormone's C-terminal fragment without the full hormone's systemic actions, a preclinical finding, not a demonstrated human clinical benefit. ^[1]
Independent analytical testing found AOD-9604 does not produce growth-hormone-like isoform changes on the anti-doping hGH assay, consistent with it lacking classical systemic growth-hormone hormonal activity. ^[5]

Clinical research & studies

The references below are the primary sources cited throughout this guide. Each links directly to PubMed or the regulator. Where evidence is preclinical (animal or in-vitro), that is stated rather than implied.

[1] Metabolic studies of a synthetic lipolytic domain (AOD9604) of human growth hormone — Ng FM et al., Horm Res 2000. (in-vitro / biochemical)
[2] Increase of fat oxidation and weight loss in obese mice caused by chronic treatment with human growth hormone or a modified C-terminal fragment — Heffernan MA et al., Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord 2001. (animal (obese mice))
[3] The effects of human GH and its lipolytic fragment (AOD9604) on lipid metabolism following chronic treatment in obese mice and beta(3)-AR knock-out mice — Heffernan M et al., Endocrinology 2001. (animal (obese and beta3-AR knockout mice))
[4] AOD-9604. Metabolic. — Wilding J, Curr Opin Investig Drugs 2004. (drug-development review)
[5] AOD-9604 does not influence the WADA hGH isoform immunoassay — Orlovius AK et al., Drug Test Anal 2013. (analytical / anti-doping)

Dosing context

This is not medical advice or a usage recommendation. Dosing figures are reported research context only, cited from the published literature.

For context only: preclinical and early human work used injected or oral daily administration, and public materials often reference a nominal 300 mcg range, but no dosing is endorsed here because AOD-9604 is not an approved drug and no dose has been shown to produce clinically meaningful human weight loss.

Any non-trial use is unsupported by the evidence.

Side effects & safety profile

In the manufacturer's clinical program AOD-9604 was reported to be well tolerated, with mild injection-site reactions and occasional headache, and a safety profile similar to placebo, but much of that safety data is not peer-reviewed / PubMed-indexed, and long-term human safety is not established.

It is not an approved medicine, so consumer-sold product is unregulated in identity and purity.

Because it failed to show meaningful weight loss in the larger human trial, any claimed fat-loss benefit should be treated with strong skepticism.

Stacking & combinations

AOD-9604 is sometimes marketed alongside other fat-loss peptides, but there are no controlled human data supporting any such combination, and stacking simply multiplies unquantified risk.

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Frequently asked questions

The strong fat-loss data are from obese mice. The larger human obesity trial reportedly failed to beat placebo and development was stopped, and there is no PubMed-indexed human RCT showing significant weight loss. Treat weight-loss claims skeptically.

References

[1] Metabolic studies of a synthetic lipolytic domain (AOD9604) of human growth hormone — Ng FM et al., Horm Res 2000. PMID: 11146367. View sourceStudy: in-vitro / biochemicalCharacterizes AOD9604 as a synthetic lipolytic domain of hGH that stimulates fat metabolism without the full hormone's other actions.
[2] Increase of fat oxidation and weight loss in obese mice caused by chronic treatment with human growth hormone or a modified C-terminal fragment — Heffernan MA et al., Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord 2001. PMID: 11673763. View sourceStudy: animal (obese mice)Chronic AOD9604 increased fat oxidation and reduced body weight in obese mice, an animal-only result.
[3] The effects of human GH and its lipolytic fragment (AOD9604) on lipid metabolism following chronic treatment in obese mice and beta(3)-AR knock-out mice — Heffernan M et al., Endocrinology 2001. PMID: 11713213. View sourceStudy: animal (obese and beta3-AR knockout mice)AOD9604 altered lipid metabolism in mice, with effects partly dependent on beta3-adrenergic signaling.
[4] AOD-9604. Metabolic. — Wilding J, Curr Opin Investig Drugs 2004. PMID: 15134286. View sourceStudy: drug-development reviewReviews AOD-9604's development by Metabolic Pharmaceuticals as a candidate obesity treatment (later discontinued).
[5] AOD-9604 does not influence the WADA hGH isoform immunoassay — Orlovius AK et al., Drug Test Anal 2013. PMID: 24124033. View sourceStudy: analytical / anti-dopingAOD-9604 does not alter the growth-hormone isoform immunoassay, consistent with a lack of classical systemic hGH activity.

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This article is for educational and research purposes only. Peptides discussed here are not approved for human consumption by the FDA, EMA, or equivalent regulators outside of specific clinical contexts. Always consult a licensed medical professional before any therapeutic use.