AOD-9604 on Juno

AOD-9604

Also known as: AOD9604, hGH 176-191, Anti-Obesity Drug 9604, Lipotropin fragment 176-191

Marketed as a 'fat-burning peptide' but the most rigorous human trial — Metabolic Pharmaceuticals' Phase 2b in obesity — failed its primary endpoint. Hold the line: the data don't match the marketing.

Reviewed 2026-05-04

What it does

AOD-9604 is a synthetic short fragment derived from the C-terminus of human growth hormone (residues 176–191) plus an N-terminal tyrosine for stability. Its commercial story is unusually clean: Metabolic Pharmaceuticals (Australia) developed it specifically for obesity, took it through Phase 2 dose-finding, and then a Phase 2b trial in obese patients (n=536, 24 weeks) FAILED to demonstrate a statistically significant weight-loss benefit over placebo. The company subsequently shifted positioning toward osteoarthritis (also did not deliver an approval) and out-licensed the molecule. AOD-9604 was later granted GRAS status as a food/supplement ingredient and is widely sold by US compounding pharmacies and research vendors as a 'fat-loss peptide,' a marketing position the trial data simply do not support.

Used for

Weight management & metabolic health

Dose

Starting: 250 mcg · once daily
Common: 625 mcg · once daily
Upper: 1,000 mcg · once daily
When: MorningStudied as a fasted-state lipolytic adjunct; community practice mirrors that with a morning pre-cardio dose. Late-day timing has no documented benefit.
Site: subcutaneous

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⚠ Caution

Pregnancy and breastfeeding (no human safety data)
Known hypersensitivity to GH-derived peptides or formulation excipients
Active malignancy (theoretical caution despite the absence of GH-receptor agonism)

Your stack

Track this peptide in your protocol — dose, schedule, vials on hand, refill projection. Stays in your browser; no account needed.

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Use this peptide

Featured in protocols

Body Composition — Phase 3 — Maintenance + optional taper

Reconstitution & storage

Lyophilized powder reconstituted with bacteriostatic water. A 5 mg vial in 2.5 mL BAC water = 2 mg/mL, making a 250 mcg dose ~12.5 units on a U-100 syringe. Use the calculator to verify per batch.

Storage. Lyophilized: room temperature acceptable short-term; refrigeration extends stability. Reconstituted: refrigerate 2–8 °C, use within 30 days.

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Reference

How it works

In animal models, AOD-9604 was reported to stimulate lipolysis and inhibit lipogenesis without the systemic GH effects (no IGF-1 elevation, no anti-insulin effect, no growth-plate activity). The mechanism is hypothesized to be a non-GH-receptor pathway, but the receptor and signaling cascade are not well characterized in humans. The lipolytic effects observed in rodent adipocytes did not translate to clinically meaningful weight loss in the Phase 2b human trial.

EvidenceTier 3 — Animal / in vitro

Tiers are per indication. The same molecule can be Tier 1 for one use and Tier 4 for another — the tier reflects published literature, not community framing.

Weight loss / fat reduction in obesity

Tier 3high confidence

The Phase 2b trial in obese adults (Metabolic Pharmaceuticals, n=536, 24 weeks at 1 mg SubQ daily) FAILED its primary weight-loss endpoint vs placebo. Earlier Phase 2 dose-finding (Heffernan / Ng review and prior unpublished Metabolic data) suggested a signal that did not replicate at scale. Tier 3 rather than Tier 4 only because there is published preclinical lipolytic data and human PK work; the clinical-effect data are negative.

Ng FM et al. 2000 Metabolic Pharmaceuticals Ltd et al. 2007

Osteoarthritis / cartilage repair

Tier 3medium confidence

Re-positioning attempt by Metabolic Pharmaceuticals after the obesity Phase 2b failure. Some preclinical cartilage data; no published positive Phase 2/3 RCT in OA. Treat as an unsupported repositioning claim.

No primary citations are anchored to this indication — the tier reflects the absence of usable literature, not a missing reference.

General 'metabolic support' / wellness-clinic fat loss

Tier 4high confidence

There is no published evidence supporting AOD-9604 as a metabolic-health intervention in non-obese adults or in metabolic-syndrome populations. Marketing language in compounding-clinic and supplement channels far outpaces the data, especially given the failed obesity readout.