AOD-9604: What the Evidence Says
AOD-9604 explained: a growth-hormone fragment developed for obesity that failed its larger trials. Evidence, status, risks. Not medical advice.
Anonymous user report. Not medical advice. Peptides discussed are not FDA-approved for the uses described. Editorial process →
Short answer
AOD-9604 is a modified fragment of the end of human growth hormone (amino acids 177–191), designed to keep fat-burning effects without growth effects. It looked promising in animals, but in human trials for obesity it did not produce meaningful weight loss versus placebo and development was dropped around 2007. It was later granted GRAS status as a food ingredient in the US, which is not an approval as a weight-loss drug, and it is banned in sport by WADA. Peptide Confessions does not publish dosing, timing, injection or sourcing guidance.
What AOD-9604 is
AOD stands for anti-obesity drug. It is a lab-made version of the tail end of growth hormone (fragment 177–191) with an extra amino acid for stability. Developers chose that fragment because, in rodents, it appeared to drive fat breakdown without the blood-sugar and growth effects of full growth hormone. In human studies it did not raise IGF-1, which is consistent with that design. Last reviewed October 15, 2026.
What the human trials found
Australian developer Metabolic Pharmaceuticals ran several human trials in the early-to-mid 2000s. Early small studies hinted at modest weight change, but the larger 24-week trial in several hundred adults with obesity found no meaningful difference from placebo, and the oral obesity programme was abandoned around 2007. Tolerability in those trials was reported as similar to placebo, but they were short.
| Question | Evidence |
|---|---|
| Weight loss in people | Not shown versus placebo in the larger trial |
| Effect on IGF-1 / growth | No rise in IGF-1 reported in trials |
| Long-term safety | Unknown; trials were short |
| Injected use | Trials studied it mainly by mouth; injected use has little human data |
| Regulatory status | Not an approved drug; GRAS food-ingredient status is not drug approval |
| Sport | Prohibited by WADA |
AOD-9604 vs GLP-1 drugs
The contrast is stark: approved GLP-1 medicines produced average weight losses of roughly 15–20% in large trials, while AOD-9604 failed to beat placebo. See GLP-1 for weight loss and peptides for weight loss. AOD-9604 is often sold online alongside "fragment 176–191", a near-identical sequence with the same lack of human evidence.
Risks to weigh
Research-market products are unregulated, so purity, dose and sterility are unknown; injection carries infection and reaction risks regardless of the compound. Banned status matters for tested athletes. See are peptides safe?.
What users report
No published confession on this site is tagged AOD-9604. Fat-loss stories here are overwhelmingly about GLP-1 drugs — see best peptides for fat loss.
Related topics
related peptides:
community guides:
More confessions from the archive
Community Q&A
- What is AOD-9604?
- A modified fragment (177–191) of human growth hormone developed as an anti-obesity drug, designed to target fat without growth effects.
- Is AOD-9604 the same as fragment 176-191?
- They are closely related growth-hormone fragments. Neither has shown meaningful weight loss in human trials.
- Is AOD-9604 safe?
- Short trials reported tolerability similar to placebo, but long-term safety is unknown and research-market products are unregulated.
- Does AOD-9604 work for fat loss?
- Its human obesity trials did not show meaningful weight loss compared with placebo, and development stopped.
- Is AOD-9604 FDA-approved?
- No. It received GRAS status as a food ingredient, which is not drug approval.
- Is AOD-9604 banned in sport?
- Yes, WADA lists it as a prohibited growth-hormone fragment.
- Does Peptide Confessions give dosing?
- Peptide Confessions does not publish dosing, timing, injection or sourcing guidance.
Anonymous first-hand reports plus sourced context — educational only, not medical advice. Editorial policy & corrections.