AOD-9604 alternatives.

10 compounds compared to AOD-9604, ranked by published evidence tier and regulatory status, not by what's marketed hardest.

Why people look for an alternative

AOD-9604 was engineered at Monash to isolate growth hormone's fat-mobilizing region while leaving out its growth-promoting and IGF-1-raising actions. The alternatives search starts where that program ended: the obesity development effort was discontinued, it holds no approval for any therapeutic use, and the FDA has flagged peptide candidates of this type as raising significant safety questions in its review of substances nominated for pharmacy compounding. It is also prohibited in sport and tested for under the WADA framework. No GH-fragment approach reached approval for weight loss, so the approved alternatives in this space act on appetite hormones instead, which is a different mechanism rather than a refined one.

What you're comparing against
AOD-9604
D tier · 41/100Research / preclinical

AOD-9604 ("Advanced Obesity Drug 9604") is a synthetic 16-amino-acid peptide corresponding to the C-terminal lipolytic region of human growth hormone (hGH), residues 177–191, with an added tyrosine at the N-terminus.

Ranked by evidence · strongest first
  1. 01
    HGH Fragment 176-191
    F tierResearch / preclinical
    hGH frag 176-191 · GH lipolytic fragment

    Acts through the adipose tissue and lipolysis signalling pathway, like AOD-9604. Research / preclinical.

  2. 02
    Adipotide
    F tierResearch / preclinical
    FTPP

    Acts through the adipose tissue and lipolysis signalling pathway, like AOD-9604. Research / preclinical.

  3. 03
    5-Amino-1MQ
    F tierResearch / preclinical

    Acts through the adipose tissue and lipolysis signalling pathway, like AOD-9604. Research / preclinical.

  4. 04
    Semaglutide
    S tierFDA-approved
    Ozempic · Wegovy

    Same category: metabolic & glp-1. FDA-approved.

  5. 05
    Liraglutide
    S tierFDA-approved
    Victoza · Saxenda

    Same category: metabolic & glp-1. FDA-approved.

  6. 06
    Tirzepatide
    S tierFDA-approved
    Mounjaro · Zepbound

    Same category: metabolic & glp-1. FDA-approved.

  7. 07
    Survodutide
    B tierIn human trials
    BI 456906

    Same category: metabolic & glp-1. In human trials.

  8. 08
    Mazdutide
    B tierIn human trials
    IBI362 · LY3305677

    Same category: metabolic & glp-1. In human trials.

  9. 09
    Retatrutide
    B tierIn human trials
    triple agonist

    Same category: metabolic & glp-1. In human trials.

  10. 10
    Cagrilintide
    C tierIn human trials
    amylin analog

    Same category: metabolic & glp-1. In human trials.

How this list is built

An “alternative” here means a compound that shares AOD-9604's mechanism pathway or sits in the same category, not a marketing substitute. Each is ordered by PepCue's evidence tier (a weighted 0–100 score across human data, safety, replication and regulatory clarity), then by whether it's actually approved. This is a research reference, not medical or purchasing advice: an alternative sitting higher on evidence does not mean it's right, safe, or legal for any given use. Reviewed June 1, 2026.

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Educational and research reference only. Not medical advice, diagnosis, or dosing guidance. Flag an error on this page
Compounds