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AOD-9604 Reconstitution Calculator & Guide
Modified Human Growth Hormone Fragment
AOD-9604 is an investigational 16-amino-acid peptide derived from the C-terminal region of human growth hormone and developed as a potential obesity treatment. Early animal studies reported increased fat oxidation and reduced weight gain, but the larger human obesity program did not establish meaningful weight-loss efficacy, and AOD-9604 is not FDA-approved. This page explains the evidence, safety and regulatory status, sports status, and educational reconstitution math.
Evidence Snapshot
AOD-9604 research at a glance
Standardized regulatory and evidence context so research compounds, investigational drugs, and approved medications are not treated as if they have the same level of human evidence.
Regulatory status
Not FDA-approvedDevelopment / evidence stage
Phase 2 (historical)
Historical clinical development
Human evidence level
Human pharmacology / early clinicalPrimary mechanism
Modified C-terminal fragment of human growth hormone developed around metabolic and lipolysis-related hypotheses.
WADA context
Explicitly prohibited — S2Human intervention evidence
The clinical obesity program reached Phase 2, but the largest program did not establish meaningful weight-loss efficacy and development for obesity was discontinued.
Human biology evidence
AOD-9604 advanced into human obesity development, providing more direct human exposure data than many gray-market peptides.
Key takeaway
AOD-9604 is a useful example of a peptide that reached human development but did not demonstrate the efficacy needed to become an approved obesity treatment.
Evidence labels describe the research base and regulatory context; they are not treatment, dosing, or use recommendations. Review dates describe the last BACToBasics source check for this evidence summary. Anti-doping rules can change and should be verified with the applicable authority.
AOD-9604 Reconstitution Calculator
Enter the vial amount, liquid volume, and amount you want to calculate. BACToBasics will automatically calculate concentration, liquid volume, and U-100 syringe-unit equivalents.
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Calculator values are educational math inputs only. They are not recommended preparation amounts, doses, or use protocols.
AOD-9604 Reconstitution Math
Reconstitution math starts with the amount contained in the vial and the liquid volume used in the calculation. Dividing the vial amount by the liquid volume gives the resulting concentration.
Example vial amount
5 mg
| Liquid Volume | Calculation | Concentration |
|---|---|---|
| 1 mL | 5 mg ÷ 1 mL | 5 mg/mL |
| 2 mL | 5 mg ÷ 2 mL | 2.5 mg/mL |
| 3 mL | 5 mg ÷ 3 mL | 1.6667 mg/mL |
This table demonstrates concentration math only. The liquid volumes shown are examples for comparison and are not preparation recommendations.
More Reconstitution Tools
Need to compare different liquid volumes or convert between mg, mcg, mL, and U-100 units? Use the dedicated BACToBasics calculator tools.
What is AOD-9604?
AOD-9604 is a synthetic 16-amino-acid peptide based on the C-terminal region of human growth hormone. FDA describes it as the 15-amino-acid hGH sequence corresponding to residues 177 through 191 with an additional N-terminal tyrosine. It was developed as a potential anti-obesity compound intended to separate proposed metabolic effects from the broader growth-promoting actions of full-length growth hormone.
Is AOD-9604 the same as human growth hormone?
No. AOD-9604 is a short modified fragment rather than full-length human growth hormone. Preclinical research reported that AOD-9604 did not compete for the conventional growth-hormone receptor or induce the same cell-proliferation response as intact hGH. That mechanistic distinction does not establish that AOD-9604 is an effective or safe weight-loss treatment in humans.
Why was AOD-9604 developed for fat loss?
The original development hypothesis came from animal and laboratory research suggesting that the C-terminal region of growth hormone could influence lipolysis and fat oxidation without reproducing all of the endocrine effects of full-length hGH. In obese-mouse studies, AOD-9604 reduced weight gain and increased fat oxidation and lipolysis. Those findings were preclinical and did not reliably translate into clinically meaningful weight loss in later human research.
What did the human obesity trials show?
Human obesity development ultimately produced disappointing efficacy results. FDA's 2024 review concluded that most identified studies failed to show a weight-reduction benefit compared with placebo. FDA specifically highlighted a large randomized study enrolling 536 adults with obesity that did not find a significant difference in weight loss at the 12-week primary endpoint, after which development of AOD-9604 for obesity was terminated.
Did any earlier AOD-9604 study report weight loss?
Some earlier short studies and sponsor reports described weight-loss signals in selected treatment groups. However, FDA noted that the available reports often lacked enough methodological and results detail for strong interpretation, and the later larger obesity study failed to show significant benefit over placebo. The overall human evidence therefore does not establish AOD-9604 as an effective obesity treatment.
AOD-9604 vs Semaglutide and Tirzepatide
AOD-9604 should not be grouped with modern incretin medications simply because all are discussed in weight-loss communities. Semaglutide and Tirzepatide act through GLP-1-related receptor pathways and are available in FDA-approved prescription products supported by large Phase 3 programs. AOD-9604 is a modified hGH fragment whose obesity-development program failed to establish efficacy and which has no FDA-approved drug product.
Does AOD-9604 increase IGF-1 like growth hormone?
Early human pharmacology studies did not show meaningful acute increases in IGF-1 after AOD-9604 exposure, and preclinical work suggested that the compound does not activate the conventional hGH receptor in the same way as intact growth hormone. However, these findings should not be interpreted as proof of long-term endocrine safety, particularly for unapproved injectable products.
What is known about AOD-9604 safety in humans?
Several early human studies reported short-term tolerability findings, including oral and intravenous exposure. However, FDA's more recent compounding review concluded that the clinical safety information is limited, that long-term safety is not established, and that available reports are insufficient to determine whether AOD-9604 would cause harm when used in compounded products. FDA has also identified serious adverse events that may have been associated with AOD-9604, while emphasizing that causality was unclear.
What is known about injectable AOD-9604?
The evidence for injectable use is especially limited. In its 2024 evaluation, FDA stated that it did not find human information supporting the proposed subcutaneous or transdermal routes. FDA also cited potential immunogenicity risks, peptide aggregation, peptide-related impurities, and active-ingredient characterization challenges. Online injectable AOD-9604 therefore should not be treated as if it has an established clinical safety profile.
Is AOD-9604 FDA-approved?
No. Neither AOD-9604 free base nor AOD-9604 acetate is a component of an FDA-approved drug. FDA reviewed the substances in the pharmacy-compounding context and concluded that the available evidence weighed against their use for obesity, citing inadequate evidence of effectiveness and unresolved safety concerns.
AOD-9604 and pharmacy compounding
AOD-9604-related bulk drug substances were nominated for consideration under the federal 503A compounding framework, but the nominations were later withdrawn. FDA continued evaluating the substances because of peptide-related safety concerns. FDA's current safety-risk information states that compounded AOD-9604 may pose significant immunogenicity and product-quality risks and that the agency lacks sufficient information to know whether such products would cause harm in humans.
Is AOD-9604 banned in competitive sports?
Yes. AOD-9604 is included in the World Anti-Doping Agency's prohibited framework for peptide hormones, growth factors, related substances, and mimetics. Athletes subject to WADA rules should treat AOD-9604 as prohibited at all times unless a valid therapeutic-use exemption specifically applies.
Research AOD-9604 vs an approved medication
Products marketed online as research AOD-9604 should not be assumed to have the identity, purity, sterility, concentration, manufacturing controls, or clinical evidence associated with an FDA-approved pharmaceutical product. There is no FDA-approved AOD-9604 product with an established prescribing label or validated therapeutic dosing regimen.
AOD-9604 reconstitution math
Reconstitution calculations depend only on the labeled amount in a vial and the volume of liquid used. As a mathematical example, a 5mg vial combined with 2mL of liquid produces a concentration of 2.5mg per mL, or 2,500mcg per mL. BACToBasics uses examples like this only to demonstrate concentration, liquid-volume, and U-100 syringe-unit conversions rather than to recommend an AOD-9604 preparation or dosing protocol.
Explore more about AOD-9604
14 linksComparisons, research records, development tracking, blends, and related guides are available here when you want to go deeper.
Explore more about AOD-9604
14 linksComparisons, research records, development tracking, blends, and related guides are available here when you want to go deeper.
Compare AOD-9604
Direct comparison pages are selected from the indexable BACToBasics comparison catalog and update automatically as that catalog grows.
AOD-9604 vs MOTS-C
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ComparisonRetatrutide vs AOD-9604
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ComparisonSemaglutide vs AOD-9604
Compare Semaglutide, AOD-9604 using the same evidence dataset.
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ComparisonTesamorelin vs AOD-9604
Compare Tesamorelin, AOD-9604 using the same evidence dataset.
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Research, updates & development
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AOD-9604 research & development updates
Open the public timeline of sourced research records and material development changes tracked by BACToBasics.
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ResearchAOD-9604 research sources
Open 2 curated research records for AOD-9604.
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DevelopmentAOD-9604 clinical development
Phase 2 (historical) · Historical clinical development. Historical Phase 2 obesity-development program; no approved product followed.
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Relevant glossary concepts
Definitions are matched against the guide's structured title, subtitle, description, and educational sections.
FDA-Approved
A status indicating that the FDA has approved a specific drug product for one or more labeled uses after reviewing the required evidence and manufacturing information.
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GlossaryMilliliter (mL)
A metric unit of liquid volume equal to one-thousandth of a liter.
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GlossaryConcentration
The amount of a substance contained in a given volume of liquid, such as mg/mL or mcg/mL.
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AOD-9604 FAQ
Tap a question to expand only the answer you want to read.
Is AOD-9604 FDA-approved?
No. AOD-9604 is not an FDA-approved drug for obesity, weight loss, fat loss, or any other therapeutic indication.
Is AOD-9604 the same as HGH fragment 176-191?
The names are often used together online because AOD-9604 is based on the C-terminal region of human growth hormone. FDA describes AOD-9604 more precisely as the hGH sequence corresponding to residues 177 through 191 with an additional N-terminal tyrosine, producing a 16-amino-acid peptide.
Does AOD-9604 cause weight loss?
Human evidence does not establish AOD-9604 as an effective weight-loss treatment. FDA concluded that most identified studies failed to show benefit versus placebo, and a large 536-person obesity study did not find a significant difference at its 12-week primary endpoint.
Why is AOD-9604 still popular if the obesity trials failed?
Interest persists largely because early animal studies showed effects on fat oxidation and weight gain and because AOD-9604 continues to be marketed in research-peptide and wellness communities. Continued popularity does not establish clinical effectiveness.
Does AOD-9604 work like Semaglutide?
No. Semaglutide is a GLP-1 receptor agonist with FDA-approved prescription products and large clinical-trial programs. AOD-9604 is a modified growth-hormone fragment with a different proposed mechanism and no FDA-approved therapeutic use.
Does AOD-9604 raise IGF-1?
Early human pharmacology studies did not show significant acute IGF-1 increases after AOD-9604 exposure. That does not establish long-term safety or prove that all products sold as AOD-9604 behave identically.
Is injectable AOD-9604 proven safe?
No. FDA has specifically noted the lack of human information for proposed subcutaneous use and has raised concerns involving immunogenicity, peptide aggregation, impurities, and product characterization.
What side effects can AOD-9604 cause?
The human safety database is limited. Early studies reported a variety of adverse events, while FDA has noted serious events that may have been associated with AOD-9604 but for which causality could not be established. A reliable long-term side-effect profile is not available.
Is AOD-9604 allowed in competitive sports?
No. AOD-9604 falls within WADA's prohibited peptide-hormone and growth-factor framework and is prohibited for athletes subject to WADA rules.
Is compounded AOD-9604 the same as an FDA-approved medication?
No. There is no FDA-approved AOD-9604 medication. Compounded or research products should not be assumed to have standardized identity, purity, sterility, concentration, or manufacturing quality.
How do you calculate AOD-9604 reconstitution concentration?
Divide the labeled vial amount by the liquid volume. For example, 5mg divided by 2mL equals 2.5mg/mL, which is also 2,500mcg/mL. This is concentration math rather than a recommendation for how AOD-9604 should be prepared.
Can the BACToBasics calculator handle AOD-9604 math?
Yes. Enter a labeled vial amount and liquid volume to calculate concentration, equivalent liquid volume, U-100 syringe units, and approximate amounts per vial. BACToBasics provides educational math rather than medical or dosing advice.
Sources & References
5 sourcesOpen the references when you want to inspect the research and regulatory sources behind this guide.
Sources & References
5 sourcesOpen the references when you want to inspect the research and regulatory sources behind this guide.
FDA review of AOD-9604 free base and acetate covering identity, human obesity studies, the failed large obesity program, safety limitations, and proposed compounding routes.
Current FDA safety-risk summary citing limited human safety information, possible immunogenicity, peptide impurities, API-characterization concerns, and serious adverse-event reports with unclear causality.
Published summary of early randomized human studies evaluating short-term oral and intravenous safety and tolerability of AOD-9604.
Preclinical study reporting reduced weight gain and increased fat oxidation in obese mice while finding that AOD9604 did not interact with the conventional hGH receptor. PMID: 11673763.
WADA's 2026 list covering prohibited peptide hormones, growth factors, related substances, and mimetics, including AOD-9604.
BACToBasics provides educational information and math tools only. This content is not medical advice, dosing advice, injection instruction, or a recommendation to use any peptide or medication.