A005 - AOD 9604 - 5 MG - Research Use Only

Product definition

What is AOD-9604?

AOD-9604 is a modified HGH fragment 176-191 with disulfide bridge modification, studied for lipolytic activity without IGF-1 or insulin resistance effects — with FDA GRAS designation and Phase IIb human trial data.

AOD-9604 (Anti-Obesity Drug 9604) is a synthetic peptide developed by Frank Ng and Henry Stanton at Monash University from the same C-terminal GH fragment research program that produced HGH Fragment 176-191. The compound consists of residues 177–191 of hGH with the addition of a Tyr residue at the N-terminus and a disulfide bridge between Cys182 and Cys189 that constrains the peptide's helical conformation. The Monash preclinical program documented fat mass reduction in genetically obese mice (ob/ob) and diet-induced obesity models, with visceral fat specificity and absence of IGF-1 elevation or insulin resistance — the mechanistic hallmarks shared with the linear fragment. The compound advanced through regulatory safety review to achieve FDA GRAS designation, which represents credible evidence of safety for intended use conditions — a regulatory status unusual for peptide research compounds. Phase IIb human trials for knee osteoarthritis were conducted by Metabolic Pharmaceuticals — an indication distinct from the lipolytic research context but providing human pharmacokinetic safety data across a patient population that supports the compound's overall safety profile.

Research context

What does the preclinical literature say about AOD-9604?

The Monash University GH fragment program arose from the clinical observation that exogenous GH's fat-reducing effects were compromised by simultaneous insulin resistance induction — making full GH non-viable as an obesity therapeutic. The hypothesis that GH's lipolytic and diabetogenic activities were molecularly separable led to the fragment 176-191 / AOD-9604 research series. AOD-9604 advanced further through regulatory processes than the linear fragment, achieving GRAS status (for food additive purposes, based on submitted safety data) and advancing to Phase IIb human trials for osteoarthritis. The osteoarthritis indication was not related to the lipolytic research context — it emerged from preclinical data suggesting cartilage repair activity — but the human pharmacokinetic characterization from those trials is published and provides translational context for the metabolic research. The compound remains in the research literature as one of the most extensively characterized GH-derived lipolytic peptides, with a safety documentation profile that supports its continued research use in metabolic biology.