AOD-9604

hGH fragment 177-191 · F-tier (Dr. Alex Tatem) · Limited evidence

Designed as a fat-burning piece of growth hormone. It was safe in trials, but it didn’t work.

Dr. Tatem’s take

F-tier: good-quality human trials showed it doesn’t work.

In Dr. Tatem’s tier list

• Unlike most of the list, it “actually has some really good human trial data” — high-quality data, which is not the same as saying it works.
• It’s a fragment of human growth hormone designed to target fat cells without GH’s side effects.
• When it was finally tested in patients, “the results were terrible.” Pharma clearly wants fat-loss drugs (look at semaglutide and tirzepatide) — “this one really ain’t it.”
• Is it going to hurt you? Probably not, “but it’s going to hurt your wallet.” Verdict: F tier — you’d get more out of creatine.

History & background

AOD-9604 is a modified fragment of the tail end of human growth hormone (amino acids 177–191) developed in the 1990s by Frank Ng and colleagues at Monash University in Melbourne, then by Metabolic Pharmaceuticals.

After safety trials looked clean, a larger phase 2b weight-loss trial failed to beat placebo and development was abandoned around 2007. It later resurfaced in anti-aging clinics and the research-chemical market. It is banned in sport (WADA S2).

Benefits

• Fat breakdown in animal models.

Risks

• No significant adverse events in sponsor trials.

Dosing protocols (informational, labeled by evidence)

• Clinical trial / label: Phase 2b/3 oral trials — 0.25–1 mg/day (1 mg was the target dose); earlier 1–30 mg/day, Oral, Daily, 12–24 wk
• Community (bro science): Community protocol — 250–300 mcg, SubQ, morning fasted, Daily, 8–12 wk

Status: Not approved. Development was dropped after its weight-loss trial.

Grade and commentary: Dr. Alex Tatem. Watch: Truth About More Popular Peptides (What Works, What’s Overhyped) | Peptide Tier List pt.2. Subscribe: @DrAlexTatem.