AOD-9604
Anti-Obesity Drug Fragment
aka Anti-Obesity Drug 9604 · hGH fragment 177-191 · tyr-hGH177-191
A modified hGH fragment researched for targeted fat breakdown without altering blood sugar or IGF-1.
Sequence
YLRIVQCRSVEGSCGF
Tyr-Leu-Arg-Ile-Val-Gln-Cys-Arg-Ser-Val-Glu-Gly-Ser-Cys-Gly-Phe
Mechanism of action
AOD-9604 is a modified fragment of human growth hormone that specifically targets fat cells. It works by stimulating lipolysis, the breakdown of fats, and inhibiting lipogenesis, the formation of fat. This peptide does not affect blood sugar levels or overall growth hormone levels, making it a targeted option for fat reduction.
What the evidence actually shows
There are a few human clinical trials that have investigated AOD-9604, showing some efficacy in reducing body fat without affecting blood sugar or IGF-1 levels. However, the sample sizes are small and long-term effects are not well studied. | REGULATORY: FDA Category 2 reclassification to Category 1 expected (announced Feb 2026).
Regulatory status
In the UK, AOD-9604 is considered a research compound and is not approved for therapeutic use by the MHRA.
Source ↗Pharmacokinetics
Dosing — what backs each figure
AOD-9604 has an unusually well-documented human trial programme — roughly 900 subjects across six trials — but it was studied as an ORAL drug (0.25 mg to 54 mg per day, up to 24 weeks) and as an intravenous infusion (25-400 mcg/kg), never as a subcutaneous injection. It failed to beat placebo on weight loss in the pivotal 24-week phase 2b study and was never approved. The '300 mcg/day subcutaneous' figure circulating online matches no published regimen.
Single intravenous infusions ranging from 25 to 400 mcg/kg, each separated by a 7-day washout (METAOD001, phase 1)
15 healthy adult males, BMI 24-30 kg/m2 · intravenous
Single intravenous doses of 25, 50 and 100 mcg/kg in a 4x4 Latin square with 7-day washouts (METAOD002, phase 2a)
23 healthy obese males, BMI >= 35 kg/m2 · intravenous
Single oral capsule doses of 9, 27 and 54 mg with 2-week washouts (METAOD003); then 9, 27 or 54 mg orally once daily for 7 days (METAOD004, phase 2a)
17 and 36 healthy obese males respectively, BMI >= 30-35 kg/m2 · oral
Oral capsules 1, 5, 10, 20 or 30 mg daily for 12 weeks after a 2-week placebo run-in (METAOD005, phase 2b)
300 obese adults, BMI >= 35 kg/m2 · oral
Oral tablets 0.25 mg, 0.5 mg or 1 mg daily for 24 weeks, with 4-week run-in and 4-week follow-up (METAOD006, phase 2b, 16 Australian hospitals)
502 obese adults, BMI 30-45 kg/m2 · oral
500 mcg/kg body weight daily for 19 days; reduced body weight gain by over 50% versus control
obese Zucker rat · oral · PMID 11146367
0.25 mg per knee joint weekly, with or without 6 mg hyaluronic acid, for 4-7 weeks in a collagenase-induced osteoarthritis model
rabbit (New Zealand white) · intra-articular injection · PMID 26275694
14 days of chronic administration reduced body weight and body fat in obese mice
mouse (ob/ob and lean C57BL/6J) · intraperitoneal / mini-osmotic pump · PMID 11713213
Animal doses do not convert to human doses by body weight alone. Route matters too — a compound dosed intraperitoneally in mice tells you little about subcutaneous use.
- Dose
- Research literature cites ~300 mcg/day
- Frequency
- Daily
- Cycle
- 12 weeks· unsourced
Why this isn't evidence
Six published human trials of AOD-9604 exist and every one used either intravenous (25-400 mcg/kg single doses) or oral (0.25-54 mg/day) administration — none used subcutaneous injection and none used a ~300 mcg/day figure, so the ported dose and the accompanying claim that it is 'typically administered via subcutaneous injection' are not from the research literature.
This figure is shown because it is what circulates and what people search for — not because it is supported. Cycle lengths in particular tend to be convention copied between compounds rather than anything derived from a compound's own pharmacokinetics.
Handling and storage
Safety
- ·Injection site reactions
- ·Mild headaches
- ·Allergic reactions
- ·Nausea
- ·Pregnancy
- ·Breastfeeding
- ·"Active cancer"
- ·Insulin: May alter insulin sensitivity
Generally well tolerated in trials; efficacy unproven
Reported combinations
- ·Caffeine: May enhance fat metabolism
- ·Corticosteroids: May counteract fat loss effects
Combination claims in this dataset are largely unsourced and should be treated as folk knowledge until a citation appears beside them.
References (3)
- Ng FM, et al. (2000) Metabolic studies of a synthetic lipolytic domain (AOD9604) of human growth hormone. ↗Hormone ResearchPMID 11146367DOI
Obese Zucker rats given oral AOD9604 500 microg/kg/day for 19 days gained over 50% less body weight than controls (15.8 vs 35.6 g); adipose lipolytic activity increased and, unlike intact hGH, insulin sensitivity was not adversely affected.
- Heffernan M, et al. (2001) 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. ↗EndocrinologyPMID 11713213DOI
14 days of chronic intraperitoneal AOD9604 reduced body weight and body fat in obese mice, with increased beta3-adrenergic receptor RNA expression; effects were examined against beta3-AR knockout mice to probe the mechanism.
- Rahman OF, et al. (2026) Therapeutic Peptides in Orthopaedics: Applications, Challenges, and Future Directions. ↗JAAOS Global Research & ReviewsPMID 41490200DOI
Review grouping AOD-9604 with growth hormone secretagogues acting on IGF-1 signalling and satellite cell repair, and discussing the regulatory and evidence gaps for these peptides in orthopaedic use.
Data provenance
Chemistry and citations on this page were checked against primary sources on 2026-08-14. Values that could not be verified were left blank rather than filled with a plausible guess.
Could not verify
storage.lyophilized, storage.reconstituted, storage.lightSensitive, reconstitution.solvent, regulatory.wada, regulatory.clinicalStage