What Is AOD-9604? Benefits, Research & Safety

AOD-9604 was developed by Professor Frank Ng and colleagues at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia, during the 1990s. The research was conducted in collaboration with Metabolic Pharmaceuticals Limited. The development was based on earlier observations that human growth hormone's metabolic effects could be separated from its growth-promoting effects. Researchers identified the C-terminal region of hGH as being responsible for its lipolytic activity and synthesised a peptide fragment corresponding to this region. Initial preclinical studies in the late 1990s and early 2000s demonstrated that AOD-9604 could reduce body fat in obese mice without affecting growth or IGF-1 levels. These promising results led to human clinical trials. Phase II clinical trials were conducted for obesity treatment, showing some evidence of fat reduction. However, Phase III trials did not meet their primary endpoints, and development for obesity was not pursued further. Subsequently, AOD-9604 was investigated for cartilage repair and joint health applications. In 2019, Australia's Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) approved AOD-9604 as a complementary medicine ingredient for joint function.