AOD-9604: what it is, what the studies show and where it stands
AOD-9604 is a synthetic peptide: the tail end of human growth hormone (amino acids 177 to 191) with one extra tyrosine added at the front. It was tested in Australia as an obesity drug taken by mouth.
At a glance
US Not approved
Canada Not authorized
Group Weight loss and metabolic
Sources 14
Checked 10 Oct 2026What is AOD-9604?
AOD-9604 is a synthetic peptide: the tail end of human growth hormone (amino acids 177 to 191) with one extra tyrosine added at the front. It was tested in Australia as an obesity drug taken by mouth. No approved product was found. [5]
Other names: AOD9604, Tyr-hGH 177-191.
How it has been given to people: by mouth (capsules or tablets) in the multi-dose human trials; two early studies gave a single intravenous infusion. No published human trial injected it under the skin.
Looking for doses? AOD-9604 dosage chart and vial math
Is AOD-9604 approved in the US and Canada?
United States: Not FDA approved. FDA lists AOD-9604 among bulk substances that sat in category 2 (significant safety risk) of its compounding policy until the nomination was withdrawn. [7]
Canada: No AOD-9604 product is in the Health Canada Drug Product Database. Health Canada names AOD9604 among unauthorized injectable peptide drugs it has seized. [11]
Both were checked on 10 Oct 2026 against the regulators' own product databases.
Which approved products contain AOD-9604?
No approved medicine containing AOD-9604 was found in the US or Canada. Anything sold under this name is not a regulated product, so there is no label to check a dose against.
What human studies of AOD-9604 exist?
The 9 findings listed here: 3 from randomized human trials, 1 from smaller or observational human studies and 5 from animal or lab work.
Weight loss in people: the company that ran the trials wrote that the effect seen in early trials was not seen in the last and largest one. No paper reporting the weight results themselves was found. [2]
Six placebo-controlled human trials ran between 2001 and 2006 with 893 participants in all. The published report covers safety only. [1]
Unlike growth hormone, it did not raise IGF-1 in the human trials. [1]
The first two human studies gave single intravenous doses set by body weight, to 15 healthy men and to 23 obese subjects. [1]
Obese rats given 500 micrograms per kg by mouth each day for 19 days gained less than half the weight of controls. [3]
In obese mice treated for 14 days by mini-osmotic pump, both growth hormone and AOD9604 reduced weight gain. [4]
Joint and cartilage claims rest on one rabbit study of injections into arthritic knees. [6]
In pigs it cleared from blood within minutes of an intravenous dose. [2]
In cell tests it did not bind the growth hormone receptor or drive cell proliferation. [4]
What are the side effects of AOD-9604?
Reported in human studies or on a label:
- Across the six trials the authors report no withdrawal and no serious adverse event that was put down to AOD9604. [1]
- In the 24-week trial of 0.25 mg to 1 mg a day by mouth, the authors report a safety profile no different from placebo. [1]
- At 54 mg a day by mouth for 7 days, headache, diarrhea and gas were more frequent. [1]
- In the intravenous study in obese subjects, 5 of 23 reported mild or moderate euphoria while on AOD9604 and none while on placebo. [1]
- FDA says it has identified serious adverse events that may be linked to AOD-9604, with causality unclear. [7]
- FDA says compounded AOD-9604 may carry a significant risk of an immune reaction by some routes of administration. [7]
How does AOD-9604 compare with others in its group?
These are the peptides filed under weight loss and metabolic. The last column says whether a randomized human trial is on record for each.
| Peptide | US | Canada | Half-life | Randomized human trial |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retatrutide | Not approved, in trials | Not authorized | About 6 days, from a 12-week phase 1b trial of once-weekly dosing in people with type 2 diabetes (72 enrolled). | Yes |
| Tirzepatide | Approved, prescription | Authorized, prescription | About 5 days. | Yes |
| Semaglutide | Approved, prescription | Authorized, prescription | About 1 week. | Yes |
| Cagrilintide | Not approved, in trials | Not authorized | 159 to 195 hours, about 6.6 to 8.1 days, measured in a phase 1b trial where it was given with semaglutide 2.4 mg. | Yes |
| AOD-9604 | Not approved | Not authorized | Not found | Yes |
| 5-Amino-1MQ | Not approved | Not authorized | Not found | No |
| SLU-PP-332 | Not approved | Not authorized | Not found | No |
| HGH Fragment 176-191 | Not approved | Not authorized | Not found | No |
What could not be found
These were searched for and did not turn up. They are listed so a missing number is not mistaken for a hidden one.
- Weight-loss results from the human trials. PubMed holds no trial report, and the two company papers that were found give safety and animal data only.
- Any human study of injection under the skin. The six trials used intravenous infusion (two single-dose studies) or dosing by mouth.
- A human half-life. The only figure found is about 3 minutes after an intravenous dose in pigs [2].
- Any trial registration on ClinicalTrials.gov [14]. The 2013 paper says the two largest trials were filed under Australia's Clinical Trial Notification scheme; that record was not looked up.
- No approved label anywhere, so no official contraindications, interaction list, missed-dose rule or storage instructions.
- The doses given by vein were set per kg of body weight and are not in the dose table. They are in [1].
AOD-9604 questions
Is AOD-9604 approved in the US?
Not FDA approved. FDA lists AOD-9604 among bulk substances that sat in category 2 (significant safety risk) of its compounding policy until the nomination was withdrawn.
Is AOD-9604 authorized in Canada?
No AOD-9604 product is in the Health Canada Drug Product Database. Health Canada names AOD9604 among unauthorized injectable peptide drugs it has seized.
Has AOD-9604 been tested in a randomized human trial?
Yes. At least one randomized human trial is listed on this page.
Sources
Each one was opened on 10 Oct 2026 and matched to the line it supports.
- Stier H et al. Safety and Tolerability of the Hexadecapeptide AOD9604 in Humans J Endocrinol Metab 2013. jofem.org.
- More MI et al. Safety and Metabolism of AOD9604, a Novel Nutraceutical Ingredient for Improved Metabolic Health J Endocrinol Metab 2014. jofem.org.
- Ng FM et al. Metabolic studies of a synthetic lipolytic domain (AOD9604) of human growth hormone. Horm Res 2000. PubMed 11146367.
- 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 Relat Metab Disord 2001. PubMed 11673763.
- Cox HD et al. Detection and in vitro metabolism of AOD9604. Drug Test Anal 2015. PubMed 25208511.
- Kwon DR et al. Effect of Intra-articular Injection of AOD9604 with or without Hyaluronic Acid in Rabbit Osteoarthritis Model. Ann Clin Lab Sci 2015. PubMed 26275694.
- FDA: Certain Bulk Drug Substances for Use in Compounding that May Present Significant Safety Risks (content current as of 04/22/2026) fda.gov.
- FDA: Bulk Drug Substances Nominated for Use in Compounding Under Section 503A of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (PDF, updated May 14, 2026) fda.gov.
- Drugs@FDA via openFDA: searches for AOD9604, AOD-9604 and AOD 9604 (no match) api.fda.gov.
- Health Canada Drug Product Database: ingredient searches for AOD, AOD9604 and AOD-9604 (no match) health-products.canada.ca.
- Health Canada public advisory: Unauthorized injectable peptide drugs seized and sold by Canada Peptide may pose serious health risks (2025-08-01) recalls-rappels.canada.ca.
- World Anti-Doping Agency: The Prohibited List, section S2.2.3 wada-ama.org.
- FDA GRAS Notices inventory: search for AOD9604 (0 records) hfpappexternal.fda.gov.
- ClinicalTrials.gov searches for AOD9604 and AOD-9604 (0 studies) clinicaltrials.gov.
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AOD-9604 dosage2 mg vialWeight loss and metabolicStatus in Canada
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