Trinity compound research profile
AOD-9604
AOD-9604 stands for "anti-obesity drug 9604." It's a lab-made peptide (a short chain of amino acid building blocks) built from a small fragment of human...
Research overview
AOD-9604 stands for "anti-obesity drug 9604." It's a lab-made peptide (a short chain of amino acid building blocks) built from a small fragment of human growth hormone, with an extra amino acid tacked on at one end. The idea behind creating it was to keep only the fat-burning part of growth hormone while leaving out the parts that make bones and organs grow, which is why it was developed as a potential weight-loss drug rather than a growth-promoting one (FDA briefing 2024).
Mechanism under study
Growth hormone naturally has a fat-burning effect. Scientists tried to isolate just that piece of the hormone into AOD-9604, hoping it would break down fat without the other effects, like abnormal bone or organ growth, that come with using full growth hormone. In mouse studies, it did reduce fat and body weight similarly to growth hormone. However, scientists still don't fully understand exactly which "switch" in the body it's flipping to do this (Heffernan et al. 2001).
Human evidence summary
AOD-9604 has actually been tested in a decent number of human trials, and the results were disappointing. In one study, people given injections lost less than a pound and a half over three weeks — not a meaningful difference from placebo. Pill (oral) versions also didn't show real benefits. In the biggest trial, a 24-week study with 502 people testing an oral pill, AOD-9604 failed to beat placebo on its main goal, and the drug's development was stopped in 2007 as a result (FDA 2024 review). Note: widely-shared online claims of dramatic weight loss (around 13 pounds) from a supposed clinical trial couldn't be verified and actually contradict what the FDA's official review found — those claims should be treated skeptically.
Preclinical evidence summary
In obese mice and rats, AOD-9604 consistently reduced body weight and body fat, similar to the effects seen with full growth hormone (Heffernan et al. 2001). Animal studies also measured how quickly the compound breaks down in the bloodstream — very fast, with a half-life (the time for half the dose to clear the body) of only about 3-4 minutes in pigs and rats.
Source material
Use the linked publications and records to evaluate study design, population, limitations, and relevance.