Not approved for human useHuman evidence

AOD-9604

Also referred to as hGH fragment 176-191, Anti-obesity drug 9604

This record exists in part to preserve a negative result. The human obesity programme did not meet its primary endpoint.

Molecule class: Growth hormone C-terminal fragment (176-191)
Category: Metabolic
Last evidence review: 2026-08-23

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Human studies

Animal / in vitro

Graded claims

—

Participants

Mechanism

What is being studied

A fragment of the growth hormone molecule proposed to influence lipolysis without the glucose effects of full-length GH. The proposed mechanism was not borne out by the clinical endpoint.

Evidence

Claims, graded individually

Each statement below carries its own evidence level, its own confidence rating, and its own account of what remains unestablished. A compound does not have a single grade.

Metabolic & Body-Composition Research

BModerateModerate confidenceHuman evidence

The AOD-9604 human obesity programme did not demonstrate statistically significant weight reduction versus placebo at its primary endpoint.

What is not established

This is a negative finding retained deliberately. It is frequently omitted from commercial material.

Supporting sources (1)

Randomised controlled trialHumanIdentifier pending verification

AOD-9604 human trials in obesity

Multiple · Obesity and endocrinology literature · 2011

Population: Adults with obesity
Endpoint: Body-weight change versus placebo
Route: Oral in the later human programme
Quantity as reported: Reported in the sponsor programme
Frequency: Daily
Duration: 24 weeks

Result. The human programme did not demonstrate a statistically significant weight reduction versus placebo at the primary endpoint, and development for that indication did not proceed.

Adverse events. Generally well tolerated in the trials.

Limitations. This is a negative-result record and is retained deliberately. Marketing material for this compound frequently omits it.

Search PubMed for this literature →

Last evidence review: 2026-08-23

Human evidence

1 human study catalogued

Human and non-human evidence are kept strictly separate. They are never pooled, averaged, or presented as a single body of support.

Randomised controlled trialHumanIdentifier pending verification

AOD-9604 human trials in obesity

Multiple · Obesity and endocrinology literature · 2011

Population: Adults with obesity
Endpoint: Body-weight change versus placebo
Route: Oral in the later human programme
Quantity as reported: Reported in the sponsor programme
Frequency: Daily
Duration: 24 weeks

Result. The human programme did not demonstrate a statistically significant weight reduction versus placebo at the primary endpoint, and development for that indication did not proceed.

Adverse events. Generally well tolerated in the trials.

Limitations. This is a negative-result record and is retained deliberately. Marketing material for this compound frequently omits it.

Search PubMed for this literature →

Pharmacology

Reported parameters

Half-life

Not characterised

Reported as short; oral bioavailability was a limitation in the programme.

Routes studied

Oral
Subcutaneous

Evidence from one route does not transfer to another. Topical, oral, and injected administration can produce entirely different exposure from the same quantity.

Regulatory status

Not approved for human use as a weight intervention. Has appeared in some food-ingredient and cosmetic contexts in certain jurisdictions.

Storage as documented

No approved labelling exists.

Safety

Signals reported in the literature

This lists what has been reported. It is not a complete safety profile, and for several compounds in this catalogue no systematic safety surveillance exists at all.

Generally well tolerated in the trials conducted

Limitations

What the evidence cannot tell you

Given as much prominence as the findings, because for most compounds in this category it is the more important half.

The human efficacy endpoint was not met
Marketing material for this compound frequently omits the negative trial result

Reference

Evidence grading key

AStrong

Multiple high-quality human trials, or strong systematic-review or meta-analytic evidence.

BModerate

Human controlled evidence exists, but replication or sample size is limited.

CPreliminary

Small human studies, observational evidence, or early-phase clinical work.

DPreclinical

Predominantly animal or in-vitro evidence. No adequate human outcome data.

EMechanistic

Biological plausibility or mechanistic reasoning without adequate outcome evidence.

XInsufficient / conflicting

Evidence is absent, irreconcilable, or too weak to support any directional statement.

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