Metabolic Research
AOD-9604
BioHarmony verdict
Caution
AOD-9604 is a human growth hormone fragment (hGH 176 to 191) marketed for fat loss, but its only controlled human weight-loss program failed to beat placebo, per the developer Metabolic Pharmaceuticals, and no positive human efficacy trial exists in the literature.
Read full reportWhat is AOD-9604?
AOD-9604 is a lab-made fragment of human growth hormone, specifically the tail-end piece (residues 176 to 191) that carries growth hormone's fat-burning activity. It is sold grey-market for fat loss, and more recently for joint repair, and the short version is this: the fat-loss idea is real in animals but failed in people. The pitch makes sense on paper. Growth hormone helps mobilize stored fat, that activity lives in its C-terminus, so a small fragment might copy the fat loss while dropping the rest of the molecule's effects. In rodents that pans out, with oral AOD-9604 cutting body-weight gain by more than half in obese rats, per Heffernan 2000.
From the BioHarmony report, reviewed 2026-09-20.
Safety watch-outs
- Injection-site infection signs (spreading redness, pus, fever): stop and seek care, since the main real risk is contaminated grey-market…
- Any active or suspected cancer: do not use
- any growth-hormone-derived molecule warrants caution without human cancer-safety data.
- Pregnancy or breastfeeding: do not use
- there is no safety data.
Full risk profile in the BioHarmony report.
Dosing as published
No approved-label or study protocol is recorded for AOD-9604 yet.
More reported protocols
MembersMembers can compare additional reported doses, schedules, and preparation notes.
Educator coverage (2)
Attributed viewpoints, separate from primary research.
- Shred Fat With AOD-9604 How To Use For Optimal ResultsHunter Williams · 2026-03-29
- AOD 9604 vs Ipamorelin: Which Peptide Wins for Body Fat Loss?Jay Campbell · 2026-05-20
Trust & sourcing
FDA says compounded products containing AOD-9604 may pose immunogenicity and impurity-characterization risks and that it lacks sufficient information to know whether the drug would cause harm in humans.
Primary sources
- Certain bulk drug substances for use in compounding that may present significant safety risksU.S. Food and Drug Administration · 2026-04-22
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