AOD9604

ID: aod9604

Aliases: hGH fragment 176-191, AOD-9604, HGH FRAGMENT 176-191

Type: compound

Route/form: oral in clinical development; preclinical studies used other exposure models

Status: not_approved

Evidence level: early human

Best data tier: human controlled/review

Support scope: human, non-human/mechanistic, review/regulatory

Source types: human_rct_negative, preclinical, review

Linked sources: 4

Broad outcomes: Fat loss / metabolic health

Reading note: These are curation notes anchored to linked sources, not a clinical recommendation or protocol.

Targets / mechanism

• GH fragment metabolic effects

Optimization domains

• obesity
• metabolic

Research basis

• AOD9604 has a real human anti-obesity clinical-development history rather than being only an internet peptide fragment claim.
• Obese-mouse work supports the original hGH C-terminal-fragment fat-oxidation rationale.
• FDA review material is useful because it separates clinical-development history from lack of convincing clinical weight-loss efficacy.

Limits, risks, and missing evidence

• Human obesity efficacy was negative or insufficient: the Phase 2B/OPTIONS program did not support commercial obesity development.
• FDA did not find human data for nominated subcutaneous or transdermal AOD-9604 products, so those route claims need separate evidence.
• Rodent lipolysis and fat-oxidation mechanisms should not be treated as proof of meaningful human fat loss.
• Fragment identity, formulation, and endpoint selection matter when comparing clinical-development data to informal use.

Risk flags

• unapproved context
• negative or insufficient human efficacy
• route translation uncertain

Linked papers, labels, and reviews

1. FDA briefing document mentioning AOD-9604 clinical development
   human_rct_negative / fda_aod9604_briefing
   FDA regulatory review summarizing AOD-9604 obesity clinical development; Phase 2B/OPTIONS did not support commercial obesity development, and most identified studies failed to show weight-reduction benefit versus placebo.
2. AOD-9604 Metabolic
   review / pubmed_aod9604_metabolic_2004
   Investigational-drug profile from the obesity-development period; direct AOD-9604 context, not approval or strong efficacy evidence.
3. Increase of fat oxidation and weight loss in obese mice caused by chronic treatment with human growth hormone or a modified C-terminal fragment
   preclinical / pubmed_aod9604_obese_mice_2001
   Foundational obese-mouse source for hGH C-terminal fragment/AOD9604 fat-oxidation rationale; does not establish human efficacy.
4. Central and Peripheral Molecular Targets for Anti-Obesity Pharmacotherapy
   review / pmc_antiobesity_pharmacotherapy_aod9604_2011
   Anti-obesity pharmacotherapy review noting AOD9604 development history and that phase 2B results did not support commercial obesity development.