AOD-9604 2 mg

How it works

AOD-9604 is a synthetic 16-amino-acid peptide fragment derived from the C-terminal region of human growth hormone, often written in the literature as Tyr-hGH177-191.^[2] It was designed to isolate growth hormone's fat-metabolism effects from its broader growth-promoting and glucose-related actions, with the goal of finding an obesity treatment without the risks associated with full growth hormone therapy.

The compound is also written as AOD9604 or AOD 9604 in different sources, and appears in both a free-base and an acetate salt form in regulatory documents. It is not equivalent to, or a safer substitute for, approved growth hormone products such as somatropin, which have their own distinct FDA-approved indications and warnings.

Benefits & side effects

AOD-9604's human evidence is more extensive than most research peptides, but ultimately disappointing for its intended use. Six randomized, placebo-controlled trials involving 893 adults evaluated intravenous and oral dosing, and a 12-week study using 1 mg/day reportedly showed modestly greater weight loss than placebo in early summaries.^[2]

However, the pivotal 24-week OPTIONS study, which enrolled more than 500 adults with obesity under a formal diet-and-exercise program, did not show a statistically significant weight-loss difference versus placebo at its primary endpoint. FDA reviewers concluded in 2024 that the available data did not support AOD-9604's effectiveness for obesity by any route of administration.^[1] Broader online claims about muscle preservation, anti-aging, or performance benefits are not supported by controlled human trials.