AOD-9604 2 mg vial dosage

What AOD-9604 is

Class:

Synthetic 16-amino-acid fragment of human growth hormone

Also called:

Tyr-hGH Fragment 177-191, AOD9604, HGH Fragment 176-191

Used for:

Originally developed as an anti-obesity drug candidate; its developer reported that its Phase IIb human obesity trial did not succeed, and development for that indication was discontinued. Now sold to consumers as a research-chemical fat-loss product.

Human evidence:

Limited human data. AOD-9604 is unusual among grey-market fat-loss peptides in that its developer ran six randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled human trials, giving it by mouth for up to 24 weeks or as single intravenous doses. Their safety data were published in 2013 (Stier, Vos and Kenley, Journal of Endocrinology and Metabolism) and report adverse events at rates similar to placebo, with no change in IGF-1 or glucose tolerance. Their efficacy results were never published, and the company's announcements and news reports on the 2007 discontinuation of its obesity programme state its Phase IIb trial did not meet its primary endpoint against placebo, after which clinical development for weight loss stopped. Developer-funded safety data with no published efficacy data keeps this at "limited" rather than a higher tier, and the efficacy account that exists does not favour the effect it is marketed for.

US status:

Unapproved drug. Not FDA-approved for any indication in the United States, and not a dietary supplement, despite claims to that effect that circulate in vendor marketing I could not verify against an FDA source. FDA lists AOD-9604 in the "bulk drug substances nominated but withdrawn" table on its compounding safety-risk page; the nomination was withdrawn by the nominator in 2024, which removes it from that specific review track without approving it, or clearing it as safe, for anything.

The full picture, with every study: AOD-9604 guide.

How to mix a 2 mg AOD-9604 vial

For this vial: 1 mL of bacteriostatic water makes 2 mg/mL, so 400 mcg is 20 units (0.2 mL) on a U-100 insulin syringe. Pick a different volume from the units table if you want bigger or smaller draws; the number of doses stays the same.

1. Wipe the rubber stoppers of both the peptide vial and the bacteriostatic water vial with an alcohol swab and let the alcohol dry. ^[3][4]
2. With a new sterile needle and syringe, draw up the amount of bacteriostatic water you have chosen for the dilution. ^[3][4][5]
3. Inject the water into the peptide vial by aiming the stream against the inside glass wall, which helps prevent foaming. ^[6]
4. Swirl or roll the vial gently until the powder has fully dissolved; do not shake it. Do not inject the solution if it is cloudy or has particles in it. ^[3][4][6]
5. Label the vial with the date and time it was mixed, the amount of water added and how long it can be used after mixing. ^[3]
6. Store the mixed vial in the refrigerator at 2-8°C (36-46°F) and do not freeze it. ^[6]

Step by step with pictures: how to reconstitute peptides. About the water itself: bacteriostatic water.

Storing AOD-9604 vials

• Freeze-dried (lyophilized) peptide keeps far longer than peptide in solution; peptide suppliers advise storing the powder at -20°C away from bright light. ^[7]
• Protect peptide vials from heat and light. ^[7][8]
• Avoid repeated freeze-thaw cycles; a prescription peptide label also says not to freeze a vial once it has been mixed. ^[6][7]
• Once a multi-dose vial, such as bacteriostatic water, has been opened (needle-punctured), date it and discard it within 28 days unless its manufacturer states another date. ^[9][10]

More detail: peptide storage and shelf life.

Injecting safely

• Clean the injection site with an alcohol swab and let the skin dry completely before injecting. ^[11][12]
• Pinch up a fold of skin and fat (not muscle) and insert the needle at a 45- to 90-degree angle: 90 degrees where there is enough fatty tissue, 45 degrees where there is little. ^[11][12][13]
• Pulling back on the plunger (aspiration) is not necessary for a subcutaneous injection, because the chance of the needle being in a blood vessel is small. ^[11]
• Inject slowly, at roughly 10 seconds per mL. ^[11]
• Common sites are the belly, the thigh and the upper arm; rotate sites, keeping each injection at least 1 inch (2.5 cm) from the last. ^[6][11][12]

Hygiene and warning signs

• Use a new sterile needle and syringe for every injection and every time you enter a vial; never reuse them. ^[5][9][12]
• Never share needles, syringes or pens with anyone, even if the needle is changed; unsafe injection practices spread hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV. ^[5][8][9]
• Put used needles and syringes in a sharps disposal container straight away (FDA-cleared if possible), never loose in the trash, recycling or toilet, and dispose of the container following your community's guidelines. ^[14][15]
• Contact a health care provider if the injection site shows signs of infection, such as redness, swelling, red streaks or a fever. ^[12]

Where to inject: subcutaneous injection sites.

How AOD-9604 works

• AOD-9604 is a synthetic peptide made of amino acids 177-191 from the C-terminal end of human growth hormone, with an extra tyrosine added at the N-terminus. It is reported to mimic growth hormone's fat-breaking (lipolytic) action without its diabetes-promoting side effects. ^[16]
• Unlike growth hormone, AOD-9604 did not compete for the growth hormone receptor in cell assays and did not make receptor-bearing cells proliferate. Its fat-metabolism effects therefore appear to run through a different route. ^[17]
• In obese mice, 14 days of AOD-9604 raised RNA levels of the beta-3 adrenergic receptor, the main fat-breaking receptor in fat cells, back to lean-mouse levels. The authors concluded that its lipolytic action is not mediated directly through that receptor. ^[18]

What the AOD-9604 research found

Human evidence: limited human data. Each result says what was studied.

• Animal studyIn obese Zucker rats, oral AOD-9604 at 500 micrograms/kg daily for 19 days cut body-weight gain by more than half (15.8 g vs 35.6 g in controls). Unlike intact growth hormone, it did not worsen insulin sensitivity on euglycaemic clamp testing. ^[19]
• Animal studyIn obese mice given AOD-9604 or growth hormone by mini-pump for 14 days, both reduced weight gain and increased fat burning and plasma glycerol, a marker of fat breakdown. Unlike growth hormone, AOD-9604 did not cause high blood sugar or reduce insulin secretion. ^[17]
• Animal studyIn mice lacking the beta-3 adrenergic receptor, 14 days of AOD-9604 did not produce the weight change or rise in fat breakdown seen in normal mice, although in a short-term (acute) experiment AOD-9604 still raised energy expenditure and fat burning in these mice. ^[18]
• Animal studyIn a 2015 study of 32 rabbits with chemically induced knee osteoarthritis, weekly injections of 0.25 mg AOD-9604 into the joint lowered cartilage damage scores compared with saline. AOD-9604 combined with hyaluronic acid worked better than either alone. ^[20]

AOD-9604 side effects and risks

The only published human safety data come from the developer's own summary of its oral and intravenous trials; no study has tested the subcutaneous injections sold today.

• Human studyAcross six developer-funded, randomised, placebo-controlled trials in about 900 adults, given AOD-9604 by mouth (up to 24 weeks) or as single intravenous doses, adverse events occurred at rates similar to placebo, mostly headache and gut symptoms, with no change in IGF-1 or glucose tolerance. None tested injection under the skin. ^[21]
• Regulator reviewFDA states that compounded drugs containing AOD-9604 may pose a significant risk of immunogenicity (an immune reaction against the drug) for certain routes of administration, and may have problems with peptide-related impurities. ^[22]
• Regulator reviewFDA says it has found no, or only limited, safety information on AOD-9604 and lacks enough information to know whether it would cause harm in humans. It has identified serious adverse events that may be associated with AOD-9604, though causality is not clear. ^[22]
• Animal studyIn obese rats and mice, AOD-9604 did not cause the high blood sugar, reduced insulin secretion or loss of insulin sensitivity seen with intact growth hormone. ^[17][19]

Other things to know

• Its own clinical record cuts against it: according to the company's announcements and news reports, a company-run Phase IIb trial designed to test AOD-9604 for obesity did not meet its primary endpoint against placebo, and the sponsor discontinued development for that use. Its efficacy results were never published, but by the developer's own account this is a negative result, not an evidence gap.
• FDA states that compounded drugs containing AOD-9604 "may pose significant risk for immunogenicity for certain routes of administration and may have complexities with regard to peptide-related impurities and API characterization." It says it has identified no, or only limited, safety-related information, and that "the agency lacks sufficient information to know whether the drug would cause harm when administered to humans." FDA has also identified serious adverse events that may be associated with AOD-9604, "though causality is not clear."
• Sold through the same research-chemical and grey-market compounding channels as GLP-1 lookalike products, carrying none of the placebo-controlled trial record - let alone FDA review - behind the approved GLP-1 medicines it is often marketed alongside.
• No established human half-life or dosing interval exists in the literature I could verify; any schedule circulating online is not traceable to a published human pharmacokinetic study.
• The only published human safety data come from the developer's own funded trials, which gave it by mouth or intravenously; none tested subcutaneous injection, the route used in circulating protocols, or grey-market product of unverified purity.

Reported side effects and what the studies measured: AOD-9604 side effects.

Where this vial size comes from

AOD-9604 is sold as a 2 mg vial by the page below, each checked on the date shown. I list them as evidence that this size exists, not as a recommendation to buy from them.

• Next Level PharmvendorLists it as: Size dropdown options: 2mg / 5mg / 10mg · checked 2026-09-28

The doses come from the sourced common protocol on the AOD-9604 dosing page, and every number on this page is arithmetic on those doses and this vial size.

Other AOD-9604 vial sizes

• 2 mg
• 5 mg vial

Where to buy AOD-9604 for research

Sold for research use only. Listed by Next Level Pharm, Spartan Peptides and BioEdge Research Labs; compare them on my vendors page or see the listing on the AOD-9604 page.

Questions

How much water do I add to a 2 mg AOD-9604 vial?

There is no single correct amount: water changes how many units a dose is, not how many doses the vial holds. With 1 mL the vial is 2 mg/mL and 400 mcg is 20 units (0.2 mL) on a U-100 insulin syringe. The units table gives 1, 2, 5 mL.

How many doses are in a 2 mg AOD-9604 vial?

8 doses at 250 mcg, 5 doses at 400 mcg, 4 doses at 500 mcg.

How long does a 2 mg AOD-9604 vial last?

At 400 mcg a dose and once daily, about 0.7-1 weeks. How long a mixed vial keeps is a separate limit; see storage below.

How many 2 mg vials do I need for a cycle?

5 vials at 250 mcg 5 times a week for 8 weeks; 42 vials at 500 mcg 7 times a week for 24 weeks.

What does 1 unit equal in a 2 mg AOD-9604 vial?

20 mcg with 1 mL, 10 mcg with 2 mL, 4 mcg with 5 mL of bacteriostatic water, on a U-100 syringe.