AOD-9604 and Fat Loss: What Has Been Studied

What the research covers

A published summary of six human trials of AOD-9604 reports safety only, not weight loss. Its fat-loss results come from rodent (mouse) and rodent (rat) studies.

AOD-9604 is a man-made piece of human growth hormone. It copies amino acids 177 to 191, with one extra tyrosine added. One study tested a related peptide, AOD-9401, in obese rodent (mouse) groups. They got it by mouth for 30 days. From day 16, they gained less weight than controls, yet ate the same amount. In the lab, AOD-9401 also raised fat breakdown in human fat tissue. Another rodent (mouse) study gave AOD-9604 for 14 days by mini pump. It cut weight gain and raised fat burning. Unlike growth hormone, it did not raise blood sugar. In obese rodent (rat) groups, 500 micrograms per kg by mouth for 19 days cut weight gain by more than half.

Six human trials with a placebo group ran from 2001 to 2006. They enrolled 893 adults, and most were obese. Doses were single IV doses of 25 to 400 micrograms per kg, or 0.25 to 54 mg a day by mouth. The longest trial randomised 502 obese adults to 0.25, 0.5 or 1 mg a day, or placebo, for 24 weeks. IGF-1 and blood sugar tests did not differ from placebo. Side effect rates were like placebo, except at 54 mg a day. That dose brought more headache, diarrhoea and wind. All three authors had financial links to Metabolic Pharmaceuticals, which funded all six trials. The summary gives no weight-loss results. A PubMed search on 27 September 2026 found no paper with an abstract that reports them.

Sources

1. Stier H, Vos E, Kenley D Safety and Tolerability of the Hexadecapeptide AOD9604 in Humans J Endocrinol Metab (2013). doi:10.4021/jem157w Safety summary of six randomised placebo-controlled trials (893 adults, mostly obese), IV and oral dosing. Reports safety only, not weight loss.
2. Heffernan MA, Thorburn AW, Fam B, 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). PMID 11673763 doi:10.1038/sj.ijo.0801740 Rodent (mouse) study, AOD9604 for 14 days by mini-osmotic pump: less weight gain, more fat burning, no rise in blood sugar.
3. Ng FM, Sun J, Sharma L, et al. Metabolic studies of a synthetic lipolytic domain (AOD9604) of human growth hormone Horm Res (2000). PMID 11146367 doi:10.1159/000053183 Rodent (rat) oral study, 500 micrograms/kg daily for 19 days: weight gain cut by over half.
4. Heffernan MA, Jiang WJ, Thorburn AW, et al. Effects of oral administration of a synthetic fragment of human growth hormone on lipid metabolism Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab (2000). PMID 10950816 doi:10.1152/ajpendo.2000.279.3.E501 Tested AOD-9401, a related growth hormone peptide, not AOD-9604: rodent (mouse) oral study plus human fat tissue in the lab.
5. Cox HD, Smeal SJ, Hughes CM, et al. Detection and in vitro metabolism of AOD9604 Drug Test Anal (2015). PMID 25208511 doi:10.1002/dta.1715 Doping-analysis paper describing the AOD9604 sequence (hGH 177-191 plus a tyrosine).