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All peptides
GH C-terminal fragment

AOD-9604

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

Tier 3 — Animal / in vitroReviewed 2026-05-04

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.

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Overview

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.

Mechanism

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.

Evidence by indication

We classify each indication separately. The same peptide can be Tier 1 for one use and Tier 4 for another. Tiers reflect the published literature, not the strength of 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 Earlier Phase 2 dose-finding (Heffernan / Ng review and prior unpublished Metabolic data) suggested a signal that did not replicate at scale.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. 2000Metabolic 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.

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

Studied dose ranges

The ranges below come from published trial protocols where available, and from documented self-experimenter consensus where the literature does not include human dose-finding work. The notes flag which is which.

250–1,000 mcgonce daily · subcutaneous

Phase 2 trials tested 250–1000 mcg/day SubQ; the highest dose was selected for the Phase 2b obesity trial. Community/compounding dosing typically 250–500 mcg/day.

Contraindications

  • 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)

Reported side effects

  • Injection-site reactions
  • Headache reported in a minority of trial participants
  • Generally well tolerated in trials at studied doses (lack of efficacy was the failure mode, not safety)
  • No documented hyperglycemia, edema, or IGF-1 elevation

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.

Open the peptide calculator → to compute exact draw volumes for your specific vial and BAC water choice.

Editorial note

DRAFT — pending Wayne's review. AOD-9604 is a textbook 'community framing exceeds the data' case. The Metabolic Pharmaceuticals Phase 2b in obesity FAILED its primary endpoint — this is the single most important fact about the molecule and most consumer write-ups omit it. Hold at Tier 3 (not Tier 4) only because the preclinical work is real and the failure is itself well-documented; promote nothing on the strength of compounding-pharmacy marketing language.

Citations

  1. [1]
    Lipolytic and antilipogenic activities of human growth hormone and its lipolytic fragment (AOD9604) in adipose tissue and isolated adipocytes
    Ng FM, Sun J, Sharma L, Libinaka R, Jiang WJ, Gianello R. · Hormone Research · 2000 · PMID 10905472
    Foundational preclinical lipolytic-mechanism evidence (animal/in-vitro). Cited only to anchor the Tier 3 mechanism claim, not the human efficacy claim.
    View source
  2. [2]
    AOD9604 Phase 2b clinical trial in obesity (Metabolic Pharmaceuticals)
    Metabolic Pharmaceuticals Ltd · Sponsor disclosure / company filings · 2007
    Phase 2b obesity trial that failed its primary weight-loss endpoint; the negative result that determines the editorial framing of this entry.
    View source