# AOD-9604

GH C-terminal fragment that failed obesity trials; safe-looking but doesn't work.

- Page: https://peprank.xyz/peptides/aod-9604
- Category: Metabolic & weight (Research peptide)
- Also known as: hGH fragment 177-191 (Tyr-modified); Advanced Obesity Drug
- Routes: Oral / Injection
- Sequence: YLRIVQCRSVEGSCGF (hGH 177-191 with added N-terminal Tyr; Cys7-Cys14 disulfide)
- Safety tier: Strict: Caution · Balanced: Caution · Evidence only: Caution
- Risk axes (0 none to 3 severe): Seen harm 1, Mechanism 0, Data gap 1, Silent harm 1, Product 3
- Positive: 53% of 26 graded reports glowing or positive, shrunk toward the 49% all-report average by 8 reports' weight
- Rank: #8 of 61 research peptides
- Graded reports: 26 (Positive 14, Mixed 1, Nothing 9, Negative 2)
- Evidence: Human RCTs — Six double-blind trials, ~900 people: no IGF-1 or glucose effect, placebo-like tolerability, efficacy failed
- Access: Grey market
- Onset: users claim 2-4 weeks; the 24-week trial saw no effect
- Lasts: cumulative
- Cost per month: ≈ €45–90 (at 250–500 mcg/day, XL Peptides at €5.98/mg, trust-3 shop)
- Updated: 2026-10-30

## What users report

About half of the reports claim fat loss or a broken stall, but almost every success story is confounded by tirzepatide/retatrutide plus a diet. Experienced users repeat that it lost to placebo and was scrapped in 2007 (those trials used oral doses; users inject). The most common practical complaint is vials going cloudy or gelling. Roughly 35-40% notice nothing, and a few say they stalled or regained weight while on it.

**Effects:** fat loss (not supported by RCTs); joint/cartilage claims (animal only)

**Downsides:** no measurable effect for most; cloudy/gelling reconstitution; injection sting

**Risks:** Generic: grey-market purity; FDA noted serious adverse events of unclear causality and immunogenicity concerns for compounded forms

**Typical use:** 250-500 mcg/day subQ, fasted, before cardio. In practice not worth it.

**Getting it:** Research-peptide vendors and a few compounders; vials often go cloudy or gel in plain bacteriostatic water.

**Stacked with:** tirzepatide or retatrutide (almost every success story; users add AOD to break a GLP-1 stall.); fasted cardio (injected on waking or at night, fasted, on the theory that released fat must be burned.); tesamorelin or CJC-1295/ipamorelin (common GH-axis add-ons that further confound any AOD effect.)

## Risk profile

- **Seen harm 1/3:** Six RCTs (n=893) found side effects matching placebo and no related SAEs, but FDA states it identified serious adverse events that may be associated, causality unclear.
- **Mechanism 0/3:** A fragment of growth hormone (176-191) that in trials did not change IGF-1 or glucose; no pathway to serious harm is known.
- **Data gap 1/3:** Six RCTs with 893 people, oral up to 24 weeks, but nobody has trialled the subcutaneous injection people use.
- **Silent harm 1/3:** Reported effects (GI upset, injection sting) are noticed at once.
- **Product 3/3:** Injected from grey-market or compounded vials; FDA flagged immunogenicity for compounded forms, and it is on WADA's prohibited list.
- **Never if:** Pregnancy or breastfeeding (no human reproductive data)

## Top reports

- Positive, metabolic, 300 mcg, 2 hours after the evening meal: “i was on a bit of a stall with Tirzepatide and added this in...first in the morning...for 3 weeks, nothing. I changed it up 2 weeks ago to the evening. losing 1.5lbs/week!” — [r/Peptidesource](https://www.reddit.com/r/Peptidesource/comments/1kfjqj3/aod_9604_at_night/)
- Positive, metabolic, 250 mcg twice daily: “In the 8 weeks since starting AOD, I have lost 12" total from chest/waist/navel/upper and lower hip/thigh. In the 8 weeks prior to AOD, I only lost 6" total from those same points.” — [r/Retatrutide](https://www.reddit.com/r/Retatrutide/comments/17v5i7o/retatrutide_aod_9604/k98r16d/)
- Positive, metabolic: “Added AOD about 3 months ago, broke a stall, & the belly roll melted away.” — [r/Retatrutide](https://www.reddit.com/r/Retatrutide/comments/17v5i7o/retatrutide_aod_9604/k99alhj/)
- Positive, metabolic: “I've been taking AOD for 6 months. For me it's been fantastic I'm down 11 lb. I also substantially changed my eating habits.” — [r/Peptidesource](https://www.reddit.com/r/Peptidesource/comments/1lpezi4/aod_964_anybody_take_this_to_lose_58_lbs_how_did/n0uc125/)
- Positive, metabolic: “In maintenance mode and taking AOD, my muffin top is shrinking. Maintaining my weight, but the muffin is shrinking.” — [r/Peptidesource](https://www.reddit.com/r/Peptidesource/comments/1lpezi4/aod_964_anybody_take_this_to_lose_58_lbs_how_did/n14a1ni/)

## Cheapest in Europe

- [XL Peptides](https://xlpeptides.com/product/aod-9604/) (GB): AOD-9604 5mg Research Peptide, €30, €5.98/mg
- [Semax Polska](https://semaxpolska.com/en/aod-9604-5-mg/) (PL): AOD 9604 5 mg + bacteriostatic water 3 ml, €31, €6.14/mg
- [Europa-Peptide](https://europa-peptide.de/en/shop/aod9604-5mg/) (PL): AOD9604 5mg, €35, €7.00/mg
- [Condor Research](https://condorresearch.com/product/aod-9604-capsules/) (SK): AOD-9604 Capsules 60 x 300mcg, €130, €7.22/mg
- [Baltic Peptides](https://balticpeptides.com/product/aod9604/) (LT): AOD-9604 5mg, €45, €9.00/mg

## Studies

- [Safety and Tolerability of the Hexadecapeptide AOD9604 in Humans](https://doi.org/10.4021/jem157w) (review, n=925, 2013): Across six randomised trials AOD9604 matched placebo on side effects and did not change IGF-1 or glucose.
- [Metabolic Pharmaceuticals: Phase 2B clinical trial results (METAOD006)](https://data-api.marketindex.com.au/api/v1/announcements/XASX:PNV:XX270709/pdf) (rct, n=536, 2007): 24 weeks of oral AOD9604 at 1-30 mg produced no meaningful weight loss over placebo, and the obesity programme was dropped.
- [Effect of Intra-articular Injection of AOD9604 with or without Hyaluronic Acid in Rabbit Osteoarthritis Model](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26275694/) (animal, n=32, 2015): Knee injections improved cartilage and lameness in rabbits, the only basis for joint claims.

## Sources

- [Stier et al., Safety and tolerability of AOD9604 in humans (J Endocrinol Metab 2013)](https://doi.org/10.4021/jem157w)
- [FDA risk note on AOD-9604 (withdrawn nominations table)](https://www.fda.gov/drugs/human-drug-compounding/certain-bulk-drug-substances-use-compounding-may-present-significant-safety-risks)