AOD-9604
hGH fragment 176-191 · Anti-obesity drug 9604
AOD-9604 is the last sixteen amino acids of human growth hormone. That region is the one animal work associates with fat metabolism, and it was isolated in the hope of separating that effect from everything else growth hormone does. On paper it is an elegant idea: the fat-burning part without the growth part.
It is on this site for a reason that has nothing to do with promise. AOD-9604 was taken into clinical development as an obesity treatment and studied in humans, and **the trials did not show weight loss beyond placebo**. Development for that indication was discontinued.
That makes it the most useful page here for calibration. Most compounds in this category are either untested or approved, and a reader moving between those two states can come away believing untested means promising. AOD-9604 is what the third outcome looks like: somebody ran the study, and the answer was no.
It continues to be sold widely for fat loss, which is worth sitting with. The negative result did not remove the product from the market; it only removed it from development.
How it works
The parent hormone's fat-metabolising activity was mapped to its C-terminal region, and AOD-9604 is that fragment. In rodent studies it increased fat breakdown and reduced fat accumulation without the effects on IGF-1 and blood glucose that full growth hormone produces.
Critically, it does not bind the growth hormone receptor meaningfully. That was the selling point: no IGF-1 rise, no insulin resistance. It is also a plausible explanation for why the human results disappointed. The mechanism that made it safe may be the same one that made it ineffective.
Regulatory status — United States
Not approved for human use in the United States. Development as an obesity treatment was discontinued after trials failed to show benefit. Sold as a research chemical and — in some markets — marketed in ways that do not reflect that outcome.
Last reviewed 12 Aug 2026. Regulatory positions in this category change frequently; we date this line so you can see how current it is.
What it is studied for
Each entry states the evidence behind it. We do not rank indications by effectiveness — for most compounds here, that would be a claim nobody can support.
Weight loss
Clinical trialThe indication it was developed and tested for.
EvidenceRandomised placebo-controlled human trials. Weight loss did not separate from placebo, and development was discontinued.
Cartilage and joint repair
Published reviewA later research direction, and a different question.
EvidenceEarly-stage work only. It does not carry over from the obesity trials, and it is not what the compound is sold for.
Identity and clearance
Molecule
- Class
- C-terminal fragment of human growth hormone (176-191)
- Molecular weight
- 1815.1 Da
- Length
- 16 amino acids
A fragment of a hormone, not an analogue of one. It does not meaningfully activate the growth hormone receptor.
Pharmacokinetics
Clinical trialShort-acting. Trial protocols used daily oral and injected administration.
Dose protocols reported in sources
Displayed for reference only. Every row says where it came from, and a trial protocol and a community convention are not the same kind of information. None of this is fed into the calculator, and none of it is a recommendation.
| Goal | Dose | Frequency | Route | Units, 2 mg vial | Source | Start this protocol |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trial dose | 1 mg – 30 mg | Once daily across dose-ranging arms | SubcutaneousTrials tested a wide dose range specifically to find an effective one. None separated from placebo on weight. | from 50 u | Clinical trial | Start this |
| Commonly described dose | 300 mcg – 500 mcg | Once daily | SubcutaneousNotably lower than the doses that were trialled and found ineffective. | 15–25 u | Community practice | Start this |
Start this copies a row into a protocol of your own, which you can then edit. Where a source gave a dose range or an ambiguous frequency, those fields arrive empty — we will not pick a number on your behalf.
CheckRows marked community practice describe what people commonly do, drawn from public discussion. They are not derived from any trial and are not evidence that a dose is safe or effective.
Calculator
Work out what to draw
Pre-filled with a 5 mg vial as a worked example. These are not recommended values — change them to match the vial in front of you.
Draw to 12 units on a 1 mL U-100 syringe. That is 0.12 mL, containing 300 mcg of AOD-9604.
12 units sits exactly on a printed line.
Bioalmanac performs arithmetic on values you enter. It does not recommend doses, schedules or compounds, and nothing here is medical advice. Confirm every calculation against your vial and syringe before drawing, and speak with a licensed healthcare provider.
Open this calculation in the full calculator
Units, concentration, bacteriostatic water — the glossary defines the vocabulary, and a unit is not a fixed volume.
Safety
Reported effects
- Generally well tolerated in trialsClinical trial
Documented
This is the unusual part: the safety profile in trials was reassuring. It was efficacy that failed, not safety.
- Injection site reactionsCommunity practice
Occasionally reported
- HeadacheCommunity practice
Occasionally reported
When to stop
- Any allergic response: rash, hives, facial swelling or difficulty breathing. Seek urgent care.
- Signs of infection at an injection site.
- Any new or unexplained symptom you would ordinarily see a doctor about.
Interactions and situations that need care
- Pregnancy and breastfeedingAvoid
No reproductive or developmental safety data.
- Competing in a tested sportAvoid
Prohibited at all times under WADA's S2 category as a growth hormone fragment.
SportProhibited by the World Anti-Doping Agency under S2: Peptide Hormones, Growth Factors and Related Substances, at all times. Prohibited as a growth hormone fragment regardless of whether it works.
What to expect
- The human trials were run and did not show weight loss beyond placebo. That is the headline, and it is not ambiguous.
- Doses commonly sold and discussed are lower than the trial doses that failed, which does not make them more likely to work.
- Safety in trials was reassuring. A compound being well tolerated and a compound being effective are separate findings, and this one has the first without the second.
- If you are considering it for fat loss, the most useful thing on this page is that somebody already ran the experiment.
Storage and handling
- Freeze-dried powder
- Refrigerated at 2–8 °C, protected from light.
- After mixing
- Refrigerated at 2–8 °C. Do not freeze once mixed.
- Long-term, frozen
- Unopened powder is stable at −20 °C or colder.
Checking your vial
Research chemicals carry no manufacturing standard, so what the vial looks like is often the only quality signal available before you use it. More on assessing quality and COAs.
White cake, clear solution
Standard for a short peptide.
Collapsed cake or cloudy solution
Indicates heat damage or degradation.
Questions
- Does AOD-9604 work for fat loss?
- The clinical trials conducted for that indication did not show weight loss beyond placebo, and development was discontinued on that basis. It continues to be sold for fat loss regardless.
- Why is it still sold if the trials failed?
- A negative trial removes a compound from pharmaceutical development. It does not remove it from a market that operates outside that framework, and the failure is rarely mentioned in the marketing.
- Is it safer than growth hormone?
- It does not meaningfully activate the growth hormone receptor, so it does not raise IGF-1 or affect blood glucose the way growth hormone does. That was the design intent. That may also be why it did not produce the effect it was developed for.
References
The effect of AOD9604 on body weight in obese adults: a randomised controlled trial
Clinical trial literature, 2010 · Randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled dose-ranging trial
Adults with obesity · 1 mg to 30 mg daily · 12 weeks
Weight reduction did not separate from placebo at any dose tested. The compound was well tolerated. Development for obesity was subsequently discontinued.
AOD-9604 and the C-terminal fragment of human growth hormone
Review literature, 2013 · Review
Animal models and humans
Reviews the lipolytic activity reported in rodent models and the subsequent failure to reproduce weight loss in human trials.
Commonly reported community protocols
Bioalmanac editorial summary of public community sources, 2026 · Not a study
Summarises dose ranges described in public discussion, which sit below the trial doses. Carries no evidential weight.
Related compounds
Semaglutide
A long-acting GLP-1 receptor agonist approved for type 2 diabetes and for weight management, dosed once weekly.
Tirzepatide
A once-weekly dual agonist that activates both the GIP and GLP-1 receptors, approved for type 2 diabetes and for weight management.
Retatrutide
An investigational once-weekly triple agonist acting on the GLP-1, GIP and glucagon receptors. Not approved anywhere.
Liraglutide
The first GLP-1 analogue approved for weight loss. A daily injection, superseded by weekly semaglutide but still the best-documented compound in the class.
Next
What to do with AOD-9604
- Keep a record of itTurn a dose and a schedule into a protocol, then log what you actually take. AOD-9604 is filled in for you.
- See what it costsPer-milligram prices read from vendor sites and confirmed by a person, so vial sizes compare.
- Check a combinationWhat our profiles record about AOD-9604 alongside each other compound — including the pairs where nothing is recorded.
Keep this page honest
If something here is wrong, out of date, or missing a source, tell us and we will fix it and say that we did.
This page is educational. It describes what published research reports, not what you should do. Peptides discussed here are largely not approved for human use, and nothing on Bioalmanac is medical advice. No clinician reviews these pages.
Page last updated 12 Aug 2026