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Fat LossLimited human evidence

AOD-9604

Modified fragment (amino acids 176-191) of the C-terminus of human growth hormone. Originally developed by Metabolic Pharmaceuticals as an anti-obesity agent. Failed to meet Phase 2 primary endpoints for weight loss. Repurposed as a research / supplement-market compound; in some jurisdictions classified as a food supplement.

Educational only — not medical advice. SmartPeptide does not prescribe, diagnose, or treat. Always consult a licensed healthcare provider before using any peptide, supplement, medication, or protocol.

What the research shows

AOD-9604 demonstrated lipolytic activity in animal models but FAILED to produce significant weight loss vs. placebo in human Phase 2 trials. Development as an obesity drug was discontinued. Limited preclinical evidence for cartilage repair.

What's still experimental

Any therapeutic claim. The Phase 2 failure is the strongest piece of human evidence and it was negative.

Anecdotal / community reports

Marketed by some clinics + research suppliers as a 'fat burner.' Anecdotal logs report subjective effects that are not supported by the failed Phase 2 trial.

Anecdotal reports are NOT scientific evidence. They reflect personal experience and may not generalize.

FDA approval status

Source: openFDA + DailyMed (NIH/NLM)
No FDA-approved drug label exists for “AOD-9604”. This peptide is not currently approved by the FDA as a finished pharmaceutical product. Any commercial product claiming FDA approval should be treated with suspicion.

Doses studied in research

No established dose range

What published trials tested or FDA-approved labels specify. Reporting research facts — not a SmartPeptide recommendation.

No FDA-approved or established trial dose range for this peptide. Anecdotal ranges discussed in community forums exist but are not supported by published clinical trials, and SmartPeptide will not publish unverified doses.

This is the honest answer for peptides like BPC-157, IGF-1 LR3, MOTS-c, Epitalon and similar research compounds — robust human dose- ranging studies have not been published. Always work with a licensed clinician familiar with experimental peptides if you are considering any use.

FDA enforcement & recalls

Live · openFDA Drug Enforcement API
Total actions
2
recalls + withdrawals
Ongoing
1
not yet completed
Class I (serious)
0
health hazard / death risk
  • Class IICompleted· Voluntary: Firm initiated
    FDA record

    Compounded Lyophilized AOD-9604, 3 mg For subcutaneous or intramuscular injection, Rx Only, Compounded by: Innoveix Addison, TX 75001 800-370-1910

    Reason: Lack of Assurance of Sterility

    Jul 9, 2021·Innoveix Pharmaceuticals Inc
  • Class IIOngoing· Voluntary: Firm initiated
    FDA record

    AOD-9604, 1200 MCG/ML, 5 ML vial The Guyer Institute of Molecular Medicine, Indianapolis, IN

    Reason: Lack of Assurance of Sterility: due to concerns with production processes which cannot assure sterility of products intended to be sterile.

    Nov 30, 2020·Advanced Nutriceuticals, LLC
FDA classifications: Class I = reasonable probability of serious adverse health consequences or death. Class II = temporary or medically reversible adverse consequences. Class III = unlikely to cause adverse health consequences.

Mechanism & targets

ChEMBL · UniProt · Open Targets

Molecule (ChEMBL)

View on ChEMBL

Protein targets (UniProt)

  • E3 ubiquitin-protein ligase Jade-2
    Q9NQC1gene: JADE2Homo sapiens· 790 aaReviewed

    Scaffold subunit of some HBO1 complexes, which have a histone H4 acetyltransferase activity (PubMed:16387653). Acts as an E3 ubiquitin-protein ligase mediating the ubiquitination and subsequent proteasomal degradation of target protein histone demethylase KDM1A (PubMed:25018020). Also acts as a ubiquitin ligase E3 toward itself. Positive regulator of neurogenesis (By similarity)

  • Lysine-specific histone demethylase 1A
    O60341gene: KDM1AHomo sapiens· 852 aaReviewed

    Histone demethylase that can demethylate both 'Lys-4' (H3K4me) and 'Lys-9' (H3K9me) of histone H3, thereby acting as a coactivator or a corepressor, depending on the context (PubMed:15620353, PubMed:15811342, PubMed:16079794, PubMed:16079795, PubMed:16140033, PubMed:16223729, PubMed:27292636). Acts by oxidizing the substrate by FAD to generate the corresponding imine that is subsequently hydrolyzed (PubMed:15620353, PubMed:15811342, PubMed:16079794, PubMed:21300290, PubMed:26214369). Acts as a c…

Live research

PubMed · ClinicalTrials.gov · Europe PMC · OpenAlex
PubMed papers
20
total
Human studies
0
MeSH: humans
Clinical trials
0
published
Active trials
0
0 total registered

Europe PMC — 366 additional records

Includes EU/UK studies and PubMed Central full-text articles. Often surfaces research weeks before PubMed indexes it.

Research volume (OpenAlex topic graph)

Total works
1,300
all years
Last 5 years
468
recent activity
Open access
1,263
freely readable
OA share
97%
of all works

Human clinical evidence

Semantic Scholar · AI TLDRs · influence-ranked
No indexed human-study summaries found for “AOD-9604 OR (HGH AND 176-191)” via Semantic Scholar yet. This is normal for very new or research-only compounds.

Research funding & verification

NIH RePORTER · CrossRef DOI registry

Publication landscape

CrossRef · DOI registry
Indexed works (CrossRef)
884,705
all DOIs registered
Retracted papers
0
no retractions on record
Top funders of indexed research
  • National Natural Science Foundation of China11,166 works
  • National Institutes of Health1,701 works
  • National Science Foundation1,572 works
  • National Key Research and Development Program of China1,385 works
  • Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities1,340 works
  • Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology947 works

Funder diversity is a credibility signal. Research concentrated in a single drug company's funding warrants more scrutiny than research funded across NIH, charities, and academic grants.

Preprints — cutting edge

bioRxiv · medRxiv · via Europe PMC

Preprints have NOT been peer-reviewed. They are early research shared by authors before formal validation. Treat findings as preliminary.

Showing 2 of 2 preprints indexed by Europe PMC.

Known risks

Generally low acute toxicity in studied populations. Hyperprolactinemia and theoretical IGF-1-axis effects are minor given lack of GH-receptor activation. Quality of research-chemical supplies varies. Long-term safety in chronic use is poorly characterized.

Reported side effects

Injection-site reactions, occasional headache. Most users tolerate well in short-term anecdotal use.

FDA adverse event reports (FAERS)

Updated quarterly by FDA
No reports found in the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System for “AOD-9604”. This is normal for research-only peptides that are not marketed as FDA-approved drugs.

What requires medical supervision

If considering, work with a clinician familiar with experimental peptides. Be honest about the failed Phase 2 evidence base.

Questions for your clinician

  • Given AOD-9604 failed its Phase 2 obesity trial, what's the rational case for using it?
  • What FDA-approved alternatives should we discuss first?
  • What would change my mind about continuing?

Editorially curated references

Discussions about AOD-9604

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