Everything below concerns WADA prohibited list. We keep the language plain, cite what the science says, and separate well-supported claims from open questions.
Last reviewed on 2025-11-18. Where a claim depends on a specific study, the study is described rather than over-claimed.
Commercial AOD-9604 may vary in purity, counterion content, and residual moisture. Certificates of analysis often report HPLC purity, mass confirmation, and appearance, but testing methods differ between suppliers. Independent verification is sometimes used because labeled content may not match actual peptide amount. Stability under different pH and temperature conditions is not fully standardized across studies. Researchers generally treat lyophilized material as the reference form for weighing and reconstitution. Moisture content can affect accurate mass measurement.
AOD-9604 is typically supplied as a lyophilized white to off-white powder. In this form, it is relatively stable when kept cool, dry, and protected from light. Common storage recommendations place it at −20 °C or below for long-term retention. Reconstituted solutions are less stable and are often kept at 2–8 °C for short periods. Freeze-thaw cycles should be minimized because they can promote aggregation or loss of peptide content. Vials are usually sealed under inert gas to reduce oxidation.
Identity and purity are commonly checked with reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry. RP-HPLC separates the peptide from related impurities and can estimate purity by peak area. Mass spectrometry confirms molecular mass and helps detect sequence variants or truncations. Some laboratories use amino acid analysis or peptide mapping for additional characterization. No single method proves biological activity; these techniques establish chemical identity and purity only. They also require suitable reference standards for confident comparison.
Clinical development of AOD-9604 included trials in people with obesity. Reports from early-phase and mid-phase studies described modest or inconsistent changes in body weight. A phase IIb program did not meet its primary endpoint, and the compound was not approved for medical use. Differences in formulation, delivery route, and participant characteristics may explain some of the variation. Later investigations explored whether the peptide might have effects in other tissues, including cartilage.
Regulatory treatment of AOD-9604 is shaped by its classification as a peptide hormone. The World Anti-Doping Agency lists it as a prohibited substance, and many national anti-doping organizations adopt that list. It does not hold approval as a prescription medicine in the United States, the European Union, or other major markets. Products sold online are frequently labeled for research use only and may not undergo independent quality testing. Import and possession rules differ by country, so legal status depends on local law.
| Property | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Appearance | White to off-white powder | Lyophilized form; may appear as cake |
| Solubility class | Water-soluble | Often reconstituted in aqueous buffer |
| Typical storage temperature | −20 °C or below | Protect from light and moisture |
| Typical analytical method | RP-HPLC and mass spectrometry | Used for purity and identity |
| Common synonyms | AOD-9604; AOD9604; hGH fragment 176-191 | Research name and fragment description |
Regulatory interest in AOD-9604 increased after high-profile anti-doping cases involving peptide products. In some cases, the substance was supplied under alternative names or in compounded preparations, complicating traceability. Sports tribunals and anti-doping panels have discussed whether the peptide was explicitly banned at the time of use, leading to clarifications by the World Anti-Doping Agency. For consumers and researchers, the legal status can vary by jurisdiction, and products marketed as research chemicals may lack independent quality verification.
AOD-9604 is listed as a prohibited substance in sport by the World Anti-Doping Agency. It falls under the peptide hormones, growth factors, related substances, and mimetics class on the prohibited list. Anti-doping organizations treat its presence in an athlete's sample as an adverse finding unless a therapeutic use exemption applies. The prohibition reflects concerns about performance enhancement in competitive settings and the difficulty of distinguishing exogenous peptide use from endogenous hormone fragments.
Interest in AOD-9604 arose from attempts to separate metabolic effects from growth effects attributed to hGH. Early work explored whether the fragment could influence lipolysis or fat oxidation without promoting growth. Those questions remain partly unresolved because human data are limited and results have varied across studies. The peptide is not a hormone replacement for hGH and is not equivalent to hGH in clinical use. Its research history includes both laboratory studies and commercial marketing claims that are not the same as regulatory approval.
AOD-9604 is a synthetic peptide whose structure corresponds to a C-terminal segment of human growth hormone. It is often described as hGH fragment 176-191, a 16-amino-acid sequence. The peptide was designed to isolate a region of hGH associated with fat metabolism while avoiding the full hormone's growth-promoting actions. Laboratory and commercial materials typically present it as a lyophilized powder for research use. Its identity is defined by amino acid sequence, not by a single brand.
Households comprising couples with or without children make up 51 percent of all households; 8.7 percent of households are single-parent households, 2.9 percent are multigenerational households, and 29.3 percent are single-person households.
=== United States herbalism fraud === Over the years 2017–2021, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued warning letters to numerous herbalism companies for illegally marketing products under "conditions that cause them to be drugs under section 201(g)(1) of the Act [21 U.S.C. § 321(g)(1)], because they are intended for use in the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease and/or intended to affect the structure or any function of the body" when no such evidence existed. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the FDA and US Federal Trade Commission issued warnings to several hundred American companies for promoting false claims that herbal products could prevent or treat COVID-19 disease.
The two substrates of this enzyme are β-hydroxybutyryl-CoA and oxidised nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADP+). Its products are acetoacetyl-CoA, reduced NADPH, and a proton. This enzyme belongs to the family of oxidoreductases, to be specific those acting on the CH-OH group of donor with NAD+ or NADP+ as acceptor. The systematic name of this enzyme class is (S)-3-hydroxybutanoyl-CoA:NADP+ oxidoreductase. Other names in common use include beta-hydroxybutyryl coenzyme A dehydrogenase, L-(+)-3-hydroxybutyryl-CoA dehydrogenase, BHBD, dehydrogenase, L-3-hydroxybutyryl coenzyme A (nicotinamide adenine, dinucleotide phosphate), L-(+)-3-hydroxybutyryl-CoA dehydrogenase, and beta-hydroxybutyryl-CoA dehydrogenase. This enzyme participates in benzoate degradation via coa ligation and butanoate metabolism.
Tensions between Poland and its eastern neighbour, Belarus, reached a new high in June 2024 when Belarus, who had encouraged masses of illegal immigrants to cross the Polish border on foot as part of the undeclared dirty tricks campaign of its CSTO ally Russia, created the conditions in which a Polish border ground was stabbed to death by a would-be immigrant. The Polish state soon tightened controls of its frontier and on 27 July 2024 the Sejm passed a law which liberalized the use of firearms by border patrols. In June 2025 election, Karol Nawrocki, candidate of the national conservative Law and Justice (PiS), was elected Poland's new president.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
In another study, peak levels of progesterone were increased by 5-fold and area-under-the-curve levels by 2-fold when 200 mg oral progesterone was taken with food. However, this study used the unreliable method of IA to quantify progesterone levels. Although the bioavailability of oral progesterone is increased if it is taken with food, its overall bioavailability is still low, even if measured using IA. It has been suggested that the improvement in progesterone levels when oral progesterone is taken with food may be due to enhanced lymphatic absorption, allowing oral progesterone to partially bypass first-pass metabolism.
=== 23 March === Eleven people were killed in an RSF drone strike on the Radwan Mosque in Hilat Kuko in East Nile area of Khartoum. Eight people were killed by RSF shelling in El Fasher, while three others were killed by RSF shelling in Omdurman. Eighteen people were killed following three days of RSF attacks on villages in Gezira State northwest of Wad Madani. The RSF claimed to have taken Lagawa in West Kordofan.
Wound bed preparation (WBP) is a systematic approach to wound management by identifying and removing barriers to healing. The concept was originally developed in plastic surgery. It includes wound assessment, debridement, moisture balance, bacterial balance, and wound cleaning.
Serology is the scientific study of antibodies in the serum and other body fluids. Such antibodies are typically formed in response to an infection (against a given microorganism), against other foreign proteins (in response, for example, to a mismatched blood transfusion), or to one's own proteins (in instances of autoimmune disease).
While penetrating head trauma accounts for only a small percentage of all traumatic brain injuries (TBI), it is associated with a high mortality rate, and only a third of people with penetrating head trauma survive long enough to arrive at a hospital. Injuries from firearms are the leading cause of TBI-related deaths. Penetrating head trauma can cause cerebral contusions and lacerations, intracranial hematomas, pseudoaneurysms, and arteriovenous fistulas. The prognosis for penetrating head injuries varies widely. Penetrating facial trauma can pose a risk to the airway and breathing; airway obstruction can occur later due to swelling or bleeding. Penetrating eye trauma can cause the globe of the eye to rupture or vitreous humor to leak from it, and presents a serious threat to eyesight.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Lyophilized powder is commonly stored at −20 °C or below, protected from light and moisture. Reconstituted solutions are typically kept refrigerated and used within a limited period.
Reversed-phase HPLC and mass spectrometry are standard checks. They confirm peptide purity and molecular mass, but they do not by themselves demonstrate biological activity.
Synthesis, purification, and handling conditions can differ, leading to variations in purity and salt content. Certificates of analysis help, but independent testing is often needed for verification.
No. Major drug regulators have not approved AOD-9604 for weight loss or any other therapeutic indication. It remains an investigational compound studied in research settings.