What is AOD-9604?
AOD-9604 is a 16-amino-acid peptide made from the C-terminal end of human growth hormone, residues 177 to 191, with a tyrosine added in front. It was developed in Australia as an anti-obesity drug and dropped in 2007 after a phase 2b trial missed its main measure. Here is its structure, its history and where it stands with regulators.
AOD-9604 in one table.
| Sequence | Tyr-Leu-Arg-Ile-Val-Gln-Cys-Arg-Ser-Val-Glu-Gly-Ser-Cys-Gly-Phe (YLRIVQCRSVEGSCGF) |
|---|---|
| Length | 16 amino acids: a tyrosine plus growth hormone residues 177 to 191 |
| Disulfide bond | Cys7 to Cys14, the same bond as Cys182 to Cys189 in growth hormone |
| Formula | C78H123N23O23S2 |
| Molecular weight | 1815.1 g/mol (monoisotopic 1813.8604) |
| CAS number | 221231-10-3 |
| PubChem CID | 71300630 |
| Other name | LAT8881 |
| Status | Not approved; prohibited in sport |
Masses from Helion's peptide molecular weight calculator for the 16-residue sequence, less two hydrogens for the disulfide bond, matching PubChem.
From growth hormone's C-terminal end.
Frank Ng's group at Monash University in Melbourne studied the C-terminal region of human growth hormone, which they described as its lipolytic domain, and made AOD-9604 as a synthetic version of it. Metabolic Pharmaceuticals, an Australian company, developed it, with phase 2 trials under way by 2002.
A phase 2b miss in 2007.
In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase 2b trial with 536 people over 24 weeks, weight change at 12 weeks, the primary measure, did not differ significantly from placebo. In February 2007 the company ended development for obesity. The trial was never published in a journal; its result is known from company statements summarized by the FDA and Australia's Therapeutic Goods Administration.
The same molecule was later tested under the code LAT8881, in two phase 2 trials completed in 2020 and a phase 1 trial completed in 2023. None has led to an approval.
A common mix-up.
AOD-9604 is often confused with hGH fragment 176-191, a 16-residue piece of growth hormone that starts one residue earlier, with phenylalanine 176. AOD-9604 has an added tyrosine in that position instead. The World Anti-Doping Agency lists the two by name as separate substances.
Not approved; banned in sport.
AOD-9604 is not an approved drug. The FDA placed it in Category 2 of bulk substances nominated for pharmacy compounding, those that may present significant safety risks, in 2023; the nominations were withdrawn and it came off the category in 2024, and in December 2024 the FDA's pharmacy compounding advisory committee voted 12 to 0 against adding it to the list of substances pharmacies may compound under section 503A. The FDA list still notes possible immunogenicity and serious adverse events that may be associated with it, though causality is not clear.
The 2026 World Anti-Doping Agency Prohibited List bans it at all times among growth hormone fragments (section S2.2.3), and Australia made it prescription-only in 2015. Helion supplies compounds for laboratory research use only.
Not supplied.
Helion does not supply AOD-9604. The research library covers the compounds it does supply, each with its own reference page and lab report.
Specs and storage by compound.
Questions (7)
What is AOD-9604?
A 16-amino-acid peptide: human growth hormone residues 177 to 191 with an added N-terminal tyrosine and one disulfide bond, developed at Monash University and by Metabolic Pharmaceuticals.
What is the AOD-9604 sequence?
YLRIVQCRSVEGSCGF, with a disulfide bond between its two cysteines.
What is the molecular weight of AOD-9604?
1815.1 g/mol (C78H123N23O23S2).
Is AOD-9604 the same as hGH fragment 176-191?
No. Fragment 176-191 starts with phenylalanine 176 of growth hormone; AOD-9604 has an added tyrosine in front of residues 177 to 191.
Is AOD-9604 FDA approved?
No. Its obesity program ended in 2007 after a phase 2b trial missed its primary measure, and it is not an approved drug.
Is AOD-9604 banned in sport?
Yes. The 2026 WADA Prohibited List names it among growth hormone fragments, prohibited at all times.
Does Helion sell AOD-9604?
No.
Published studies (4)
- Metabolic studies of a synthetic lipolytic domain (AOD9604) of human growth hormone
- The effects of human GH and its lipolytic fragment (AOD9604) on lipid metabolism following chronic treatment in obese mice and beta(3)-AR knock-out mice
- AOD-9604 Metabolic
- Detection and in vitro metabolism of AOD9604
Citations from PubMed for reference. They describe the compound in the literature, not any Helion lot, and nothing here is guidance on use.