Underground Biohacking
Growth hormone

AOD-9604

Chris Hallewell, founder of Underground Biohacking

By , Founder, Underground Biohacking

Last reviewed

Approved as complementary medicine (TGA, Australia). Research use elsewhere.

AOD-9604 is a small fragment of human growth hormone. It was developed as an obesity drug and never approved. Australian researchers took it into mid stage human trials in the early 2000s. No results from those trials appear in the published medical literature, and no regulator approved it. The evidence that does exist is animal work. Obese mice and rats gained less weight and burned more fat. In people, the fat loss claim is unproven.

What is AOD-9604?

AOD-9604 is a short peptide, which means a chain of amino acids. Its sequence copies the tail end of human growth hormone, from amino acid 177 to 191, with one extra tyrosine added at the front. The name is short for anti obesity drug 9604. Growth hormone does many jobs at once. It builds tissue, it pushes blood sugar up, and it breaks down fat. Researchers wanted the fat part without the rest. So they cut out the region linked to fat breakdown and tested that piece on its own. That is why the structure matters. In cell tests the fragment does not bind the growth hormone receptor, so it should not drive the growth signals that whole growth hormone drives. The peptide came out of Australian laboratories, with the early work done at Monash University in Melbourne. An Australian company then developed it as an obesity treatment, and human trials had begun by 2002. Development stopped without approval anywhere. Today AOD-9604 sits in a group of peptides sold outside the medical system, marketed for fat loss and for joint repair.

What is AOD-9604 used for?

  • In obese mice, AOD-9604 and growth hormone both slowed weight gain.[2]Animal or lab study only
  • In obese mice, treatment raised fat burning and raised a blood marker of fat breakdown.[2]Animal or lab study only
  • In obese mice, AOD-9604 did not push blood sugar up or cut insulin release, unlike growth hormone.[2]Animal or lab study only
  • In obese rats, repeated treatment left insulin sensitivity unharmed on a glucose clamp test.[1]Animal or lab study only
  • In obese mice, treatment lifted a fat cell receptor used in fat breakdown back to lean animal levels.[3]Animal or lab study only
  • In cells, AOD-9604 did not bind the growth hormone receptor and did not trigger cell growth.[2]Animal or lab study only
  • In rabbits with damaged knee joints, injections into the joint improved cartilage, and worked best with hyaluronic acid.[4]Animal or lab study only
AOD-9604 dosage chart
Typical dose300mcg subcutaneous once daily
Cycle length12-16 weeks on, 4 weeks off
FormInjectable (subcutaneous)

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How does AOD-9604 work?

Modified fragment of growth hormone (residues 177-191) developed for fat-loss applications. Mimics the lipolytic action of full-length GH without affecting blood glucose or IGF-1. Approved as a complementary medicine in Australia (TGA).

How much AOD-9604 should you take?

300mcg subcutaneous once daily

How long should you run AOD-9604?

12-16 weeks on, 4 weeks off

How is AOD-9604 supplied?

Injectable (subcutaneous)

What are the side effects of AOD-9604?

EffectHow seriousWhat to watch
There is no published human safety record for AOD-9604. Human trials were run, but no safety results from them appear in the medical literature.UnknownNone can be named with confidence. Tell your doctor if you are using it.
Doctors seeing patients on growth hormone axis peptides report hormone and metabolic problems, fluid retention, muscle and joint pain, and injection site reactions.[5]Mild to moderate in reports, not measured in trialsSwelling, aching muscles and joints, appetite change, and skin reactions where injected.
Long term risk is undefined, because the clinical trials that would define it have not been done.[6]UnknownNothing specific is known to watch. That is the problem.
Product quality is its own risk, because what is sold outside the medical system may not match its label.[5]UnknownAny unexpected reaction after use, including fever, rash, or swelling.

Is AOD-9604 legal in 2026?

Checked on 6 August 2026. AOD-9604 is not an approved medicine in the United States. The FDA lists it on its page covering bulk drug substances that may present significant safety risks. It sits in the table of substances that were nominated for pharmacy compounding and then withdrawn by the nominators. FDA says compounded drugs containing AOD-9604 may pose significant risk for immunogenicity, meaning an unwanted immune reaction, for certain routes of administration. FDA also says it has identified no, or only limited, safety related information, so it cannot say whether the drug would harm people. That page was current as of 22 April 2026. AOD-9604 is also banned in sport by the World Anti-Doping Agency.

Status checked against the primary source.

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Deep dives on AOD-9604

Frequently Asked Questions

Does AOD-9604 burn fat in humans?
Nobody has published a human trial that answers that. The fat loss findings come from obese mice and rats. In those animals the peptide slowed weight gain and raised fat burning. Animals are not people, and obesity drugs fail at exactly this step all the time. Human trials were run in the early 2000s, but their results never appeared in the medical literature. So the honest answer is that the human effect is unknown.
What did the human obesity trials actually find?
That is the frustrating part. A drug profile from 2004 confirms that phase 2a trials were underway by February 2002. Searching PubMed today returns no published report of any AOD-9604 trial result in people. The drug never reached approval in any country. Reviews written in 2026 still list it as an unapproved peptide with no clinical trial evidence behind it. Trials that are never published cannot be checked, so they count for nothing.
Is AOD-9604 safer than growth hormone itself?
That was the whole idea, and the animal data support it in part. Whole growth hormone pushes blood sugar up and can blunt insulin. In obese mice, AOD-9604 did neither. In obese rats, insulin sensitivity held steady on a euglycemic clamp, a test that measures how well insulin is working. In cells the fragment also failed to bind the growth hormone receptor. None of this has been confirmed in people.
Is AOD-9604 approved, and can a doctor prescribe it?
No regulator has approved AOD-9604 as a medicine. In the United States, the FDA lists it among bulk drug substances that may present significant safety risks. Its nomination for use in pharmacy compounding was withdrawn by the nominators. FDA has said it lacks the safety information needed to judge whether the drug would harm people. Advisory committee votes are advice, not law, and they do not change that position.
What are the risks of taking it?
The honest answer is that they are poorly described. There is no published human safety record for AOD-9604 itself. Doctors who treat users of growth hormone axis peptides report hormone and metabolic disturbance, fluid retention, muscle and joint pain, and injection site reactions. Product quality is a separate risk. Material bought outside the medical system may not contain what the label claims.
Does AOD-9604 help joints or cartilage?
The joint claim rests largely on one rabbit study. Researchers injected the knees of rabbits with chemically damaged joints. Cartilage looked better than in untreated animals, and the mix with hyaluronic acid worked best of all. That is a real finding in rabbits. It is not evidence in humans. A 2026 orthopaedic review says plainly that clinical trials of these peptides are still missing. Ask an orthopaedic doctor before you consider it.

References

  1. 1.Ng FM, et al. (2000). Metabolic studies of a synthetic lipolytic domain (AOD9604) of human growth hormone. Hormone research. PMID: 11146367. DOI: 10.1159/000053183.
  2. 2.Heffernan MA, et al. (2001). Increase of fat oxidation and weight loss in obese mice caused by chronic treatment with human growth hormone or a modified C-terminal fragment. International journal of obesity and related metabolic disorders. PMID: 11673763. DOI: 10.1038/sj.ijo.0801740.
  3. 3.Heffernan M, et al. (2001). The effects of human GH and its lipolytic fragment (AOD9604) on lipid metabolism following chronic treatment in obese mice and beta(3)-AR knock-out mice. Endocrinology. PMID: 11713213. DOI: 10.1210/endo.142.12.8522.
  4. 4.Kwon DR, Park GY (2015). Effect of Intra-articular Injection of AOD9604 with or without Hyaluronic Acid in Rabbit Osteoarthritis Model. Annals of clinical and laboratory science. PMID: 26275694.
  5. 5.Dominikowski A, et al. (2026). The emerging landscape of performance-enhancing peptides modulating GH-IGF1 axis: bridging the gap between clinical evidence and patient self-administration. Frontiers in endocrinology. PMID: 42395176. DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2026.1822475.
  6. 6.Rahman OF, et al. (2026). Therapeutic Peptides in Orthopaedics: Applications, Challenges, and Future Directions. Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. Global research & reviews. PMID: 41490200. DOI: 10.5435/JAAOSGlobal-D-25-00236.
  7. 7.Mendias CL, Awan TM (2026). Safety and Efficacy of Approved and Unapproved Peptide Therapies for Musculoskeletal Injuries and Athletic Performance. Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.). PMID: 41966639. DOI: 10.1007/s40279-026-02437-0.
  8. 8.Wilding J (2004). AOD-9604 Metabolic. Current opinion in investigational drugs. PMID: 15134286.
  9. 9.Cox HD, et al. (2014). Detection and in vitro metabolism of AOD9604. Drug testing and analysis. PMID: 25208511. DOI: 10.1002/dta.1715.
  10. 10.Vanhee C, et al. (2014). Identification and characterization of peptide drugs in unknown pharmaceutical preparations seized by the Belgian authorities: case report on AOD9604. Drug testing and analysis. PMID: 24976118. DOI: 10.1002/dta.1687.

This content is for educational purposes only. These compounds are intended for research use. Nothing here is medical advice.