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AOD-9604

AOD-9604 is a lab-made peptide based on the tail end of human growth hormone. It was developed in Australia as an anti-obesity pill, meant to copy growth hormone's effect on fat without its effects on growth or blood sugar. Human trials found it well tolerated, but it did not cause meaningful weight loss, and the obesity program stopped in 2007. It is a different peptide from HGH Fragment 176-191, though the two are often confused.

Not approved · research onlyWADA Prohibited at all times (S2.2.3, growth hormone fragment)Checked October 2026
Open the AOD-9604 calculatorSources

Approval status

No regulator has approved it as a medicine. Australia's TGA made it a prescription-only (Schedule 4) substance with extra possession controls in 2015, and it is still listed in the October 2026 Poisons Standard. FDA once put it in compounding Category 2 (significant safety risks); the nomination was withdrawn, and it is in no FDA compounding category on the May 2026 list. Its developer reports that an expert panel judged it GRAS (generally recognized as safe) for food use, but FDA's GRAS inventory has no notice for it.5678491011

What it’s used or studied for

  • Human studies

    Tested for obesity in six trials of about 900 people, mostly as a pill; it was well tolerated but gave no meaningful weight loss; the program stopped in 2007.4511

  • Animal & lab only

    In obese mice and rats it reduced weight gain and increased fat burning, without the rise in blood sugar seen with full growth hormone.312

  • Animal & lab only

    Injected into the knee in a rabbit model of osteoarthritis, it improved cartilage repair, more so with hyaluronic acid. Convincing human evidence is lacking.1311

  • No studies

    Performance- and image-enhancing products like this are promoted for strength, anti-aging, injury recovery and libido. None of these claims has been tested for AOD-9604.511

Each label shows how strong the evidence is: an approved use, human studies, animal or lab studies only, or a popular claim with no published studies. Being studied is not the same as being proven safe or effective.

Side effects

Common

  • Headache
  • Diarrhea and gas at the highest oral doses tested
  • Euphoria (in one small IV study)

From six trials of tablets and single IV doses. Side effects were mostly mild and similar to placebo, and no antibodies or IGF-1 changes were found. Repeated injections have little published safety data. FDA reports serious adverse events that may be linked to AOD-9604, though the cause is unclear.457

Cautions

  • Australia's regulator found that the limited data do not show repeated injections are safe, and that long-term safety is not established.5
  • FDA warns that compounded AOD-9604 may trigger immune reactions and may contain peptide-related impurities.7

Sources

  1. PubChem: AOD-9604 (CID 71300630)
  2. UniProt P01241: Somatotropin (human growth hormone)
  3. Heffernan MA et al. Increase of fat oxidation and weight loss in obese mice caused by chronic treatment with human growth hormone or a modified C-terminal fragment. Int J Obes. 2001
  4. Stier H et al. Safety and tolerability of the hexadecapeptide AOD9604 in humans. J Endocrinol Metab. 2013
  5. TGA: Reasons for scheduling delegates' final decisions, March 2015 (AOD-9604, section 1.1)
  6. Therapeutic Goods (Poisons Standard—October 2026) Instrument 2026
  7. FDA: Certain bulk drug substances for use in compounding that may present significant safety risks
  8. FDA: Bulk drug substances nominated for use in compounding under section 503A (categories, updated May 14, 2026)
  9. FDA GRAS Notice Inventory: search for AOD9604 (no records)
  10. WADA 2026 Prohibited List
  11. Dominikowski A et al. The emerging landscape of performance-enhancing peptides modulating the GH-IGF1 axis. Front Endocrinol. 2026
  12. Ng FM et al. Metabolic studies of a synthetic lipolytic domain (AOD9604) of human growth hormone. Horm Res. 2000
  13. Kwon DR, Park GY. Effect of intra-articular injection of AOD9604 with or without hyaluronic acid in rabbit osteoarthritis model. Ann Clin Lab Sci. 2015

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