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Dosage information

AOD-9604 dosage

No human dose of AOD-9604 has been established, and it is not approved for any use.1 Published trials gave it by mouth at 0.25 to 54 mg or as single IV doses of 25 to 400 micrograms per kg, and FDA found no human data for injection under the skin.23 The figures below describe research, not advice.

This page summarizes published sources for information only. It is not medical advice and does not tell anyone to use a product. Questions about your own health belong with a licensed clinician. For questions about an order or a product, contact us.

Is there an established AOD-9604 dosage?

No. AOD-9604 has no approved use, so there is no label, no approved schedule and no established human dose.1 It also has no USP monograph and is not part of any FDA-approved product.3 All human dosing data come from six trials funded by the developer between 2001 and 2006, which gave it by mouth or by vein.2 FDA identified no human exposure data for injection under the skin, even though most clinics that offer AOD-9604 sell it as injections or as oral products.3

The tables below list what published studies used, with species, route and duration. They are a record of research, not doses for anyone to follow.

Doses in human trials

Trial Participants Route and form Doses tested Schedule
METAOD001, phase 1 15 healthy men, BMI 24 to 30 IV 25 to 400 micrograms per kg, and placebo Single doses separated by a washout2
METAOD002, phase 2a 23 obese men IV 25, 50 and 100 micrograms per kg, and placebo Single doses one week apart2
METAOD003, phase 2a 17 obese men Oral capsules 9, 27 and 54 mg, and placebo Single doses two weeks apart2
METAOD004, phase 2a 36 obese men Oral capsules 9, 27 or 54 mg, or placebo Daily for 7 days2
METAOD005, phase 2b 300 obese men and women Oral capsules 1, 5, 10, 20 or 30 mg, or placebo Once daily for 12 weeks, after a 2-week placebo run-in2
METAOD006 (OPTIONS), phase 2b 502 obese adults Oral tablets 0.25, 0.5 or 1 mg, or placebo Once daily for 24 weeks, with a supervised diet and exercise program24

What the trial doses showed

  • 12 weeks, 1 to 30 mg: a 2005 conference abstract reported average weight loss of 0.22 kg a week at 1 mg, 0.13 kg at 20 mg and 0.15 kg at 30 mg, against 0.07 kg on placebo.3 The 1 mg result missed statistical significance on the primary analysis (p=0.1) and reached it only in the female subgroup.5 FDA calls the differences small, with unclear therapeutic meaning.3
  • 24 weeks, 0.25 to 1 mg: weight loss beyond placebo was under 1 kg in every dose group and was not significant at 12 or 24 weeks, so no dose proved effective.5
  • 54 mg by mouth for 7 days: people who received the highest oral dose had more headaches, diarrhea and flatulence than the other groups.2
  • Safety across doses: the developer's safety summary reported side effects similar to placebo across all six trials, but the longest exposure was 24 weeks, and FDA says there is not enough information to support long-term safety.23

Doses in animal studies

Species Route Dose Duration Reported result
Obese Zucker rats By mouth 500 micrograms per kg daily 19 days Weight gain of 15.8 g against 35.6 g in controls6
Obese mice Implanted mini-pump, or daily intraperitoneal injection 250 micrograms per kg per day, per FDA's summary 14 days Less weight gain and more fat oxidation73
Rabbits with induced knee osteoarthritis (32 animals) Injection into the knee joint 0.25 mg weekly, alone or with 6 mg hyaluronic acid Weekly, 4 to 7 weeks after the first collagenase injection Better cartilage regeneration8
Pigs IV bolus, and separately by mouth 400 micrograms per kg IV; 2 mg per kg by mouth Single doses IV half-life of about 3 minutes3

Why study doses do not translate to people

  • No human pharmacokinetics. FDA found no human studies of how AOD-9604 is absorbed, handled or cleared by the body, by any route.3
  • A half-life of minutes in animals. It lasted about 3 minutes after an IV dose in pigs,3 and about 4 minutes in rat plasma in a lab test, where it was broken down from one end.9
  • Uncertain oral uptake. An oral dose appeared to be absorbed in pigs and was active in rats, but FDA says the extent of oral bioavailability is unclear even in animals.3
  • Route changes the risk. FDA is concerned that AOD-9604 could provoke immune reactions because of aggregation and peptide-related impurities, and notes that injected routes may carry a particular risk.3
  • Product content is not verified. The certificates of analysis submitted to FDA lacked specific tests for impurities, aggregates and microbes, so a labeled amount is only as reliable as the testing behind it.3
  • Animal doses describe rats, mice, rabbits and pigs. They show what an experiment used, measured per kilogram of the animal or per joint, not an amount for a person.

The AOD-9604 profile summarizes the research. AOD-9604 side effects lists what the trials recorded, AOD-9604 benefits and uses covers the outcomes, and How to reconstitute AOD-9604 explains lab preparation and concentration math. General background: Peptide dosage basics.

More on AOD-9604

  • AOD-9604 benefits and uses

    What published sources report about AOD-9604 and its uses, with the evidence level of each finding. No promises.

  • AOD-9604 side effects

    Side effects of AOD-9604 as reported in clinical trials and published studies, with links to the full profile. Reviewed by a qualified reviewer.

  • How to reconstitute AOD-9604

    How AOD-9604 is reconstituted, the supplies used, and the calculator, step by step. Sourced and reviewed.

AOD-9604 in the store

AOD-9604 for sale: strengths, stock and shipping are on the product page.

For research use only. Not for human or veterinary use. Read the research use policy.

Frequently asked questions

How much AOD9604 should you take daily?

No safe or effective daily amount has been established, and AOD-9604 is not approved for any use.1 The developer's trials tested 0.25 to 30 mg a day by mouth for 12 or 24 weeks, and up to 54 mg a day for 7 days.2 Neither long trial reached statistical significance on its primary weight-loss analysis in the overall study population.5 These figures describe research designs, not recommendations.

How many days a week to take AOD-9604?

No schedule is established, because AOD-9604 has no approved use and no established human dose.1 In the published trials it was given by mouth once a day for 7 days, 12 weeks or 24 weeks, or as single doses separated by one to two weeks.2 Those designs show how the studies were run. They are not a schedule for anyone to follow.

How many units of AOD9604 do I take?

There is no evidence-based number of syringe units, because no human dose has been established.1 Syringe markings measure volume, so the amount of peptide in any marking depends entirely on how a vial was mixed. The human trials used tablets, capsules and IV infusions, and FDA identified no human data for injection under the skin.23 No study result can be turned into a unit count for a person.

What dose of AOD-9604 was used in the largest trial?

The 24-week OPTIONS trial gave 502 adults with obesity tablets of 0.25, 0.5 or 1 mg, or placebo, once a day, alongside a dietitian-supervised diet and exercise program.24 Weight loss beyond placebo was under 1 kg in every dose group and was not statistically significant at 12 or 24 weeks, so the trial did not find an effective dose.5

Written by D2C Peptides Editorial Team.

Pending qualified review.

Updated .

Sources

  1. The emerging landscape of performance-enhancing peptides modulating GH-IGF1 axis (Dominikowski A et al.), section 3.4.2. Frontiers in Endocrinology 17:1822475, 2026.
  2. Safety and Tolerability of the Hexadecapeptide AOD9604 in Humans (Stier H, Vos E, Kenley D): results overview. Journal of Endocrinology and Metabolism 3(1-2):7-15, 2013.
  3. FDA Briefing Document, Pharmacy Compounding Advisory Committee, December 4, 2024: AOD-9604-Related Bulk Drug Substances (introduction). U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 2024.
  4. ACTRN12605000067673: The effect of AOD9604 on weight loss in obese adults (intervention). Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry, 2005.
  5. Metabolic's obesity drug: Phase 2B clinical trial results (ASX announcement, 21 February 2007, in an SEC filing, file no. 82-34880). Metabolic Pharmaceuticals Limited, 2007.
  6. Metabolic studies of a synthetic lipolytic domain (AOD9604) of human growth hormone (Ng FM et al.), PubMed abstract: dosing. Hormone Research 53(6):274-8, 2000.
  7. Increase of fat oxidation and weight loss in obese mice caused by chronic treatment with human growth hormone or a modified C-terminal fragment (Heffernan MA et al.), PubMed abstract. International Journal of Obesity 25(10):1442-9, 2001.
  8. Effect of Intra-articular Injection of AOD9604 with or without Hyaluronic Acid in Rabbit Osteoarthritis Model (Kwon DR, Park GY), PubMed abstract: methods. Annals of Clinical and Laboratory Science 45(4):426-32, 2015.
  9. Safety and Metabolism of AOD9604, a Novel Nutraceutical Ingredient for Improved Metabolic Health (Moré MI, Kenley D): GRAS statement. Journal of Endocrinology and Metabolism 4(3):64-77, 2014.