Compound Profile
AOD-9604: A Growth Hormone Fragment's Second Career
Published: August 24, 2026
TL;DR
Few research compounds acquire a second development identity. AOD-9604 began as a fragment of human growth hormone, moved through a substantial obesity programme, missed the primary endpoint in a Phase 2b trial, and left that programme behind. Lateral Pharma later sponsored the same substance as LAT8881 in pain studies. FDA's substance registry now prefers the newer name while retaining AOD-9604 as a synonym.
Curo does not sell AOD-9604. This is a neutral reference article, not a product listing. Curo's broader research-material catalogue, lot-specific certificate of analysis lookup, and Research Use Only policy cover the compounds that are listed. The guide to responsible handling of research-use-only materials explains that intended-use boundary in more detail.
A fragment of growth hormone
AOD-9604 is a synthetic 16-amino-acid peptide derived from the 176 to 191 region at the C-terminus of human growth hormone. It is a fragment, not intact growth hormone. That parent-fragment distinction matters because a shorter sequence is a different molecular object with its own identifiers and research record. The same naming issue appears in the comparison of TB-500 with its parent molecule, thymosin beta-4.
PubChem identifies the substance as CID 71300630 and records CAS Registry Number 221231-10-3, molecular formula C78H123N23O23S2, and a molecular weight of about 1815.1 g/mol. Those identifiers help separate the compound from informal names built around the broader hGH 176-191 label.
The naming record has since moved on. FDA's Global Substance Registration System lists UNII 7UP768IP4M under the preferred substance name "LAT-8881," with AOD-9604 and AOD9604 as synonyms. The familiar research-market name remains in circulation, but the federal registry now leads with the compound's later development identity.
The obesity programme and how it ended
The compound emerged from research at Monash University and entered commercial development through Metabolic Pharmaceuticals. Its obesity programme was not a single exploratory experiment. It advanced through multiple randomized, double-blind human studies, including early safety work and two Phase 2b studies.
Across that sequence, investigators moved from safety and tolerability questions into larger controlled studies aimed at efficacy. The final trial was the longest and largest in the programme. The decision to stop therefore followed a developed clinical record, not the absence of a completed test. That gives the compound a more legible first chapter than many research peptides have.
The decisive study was METAOD006, also called OPTIONS. It randomized 502 adults across three AOD-9604 groups and placebo, with the same diet and exercise programme across all arms. The study did not meet its primary weight-loss endpoint at any of the tested levels. Development for obesity stopped in March 2007.
That ending is scientifically useful. The programme advanced far enough to ask a defined question in a controlled setting, and the primary comparison did not establish the result needed to continue. The ipamorelin development history offers a nearby example of another peptide programme that ended after a missed primary endpoint. In both cases, completion supplies a firmer boundary than an unfinished programme could.
A new name and a new indication
The next chapter changed both the sponsor and the research question. Lateral Pharma Pty Ltd now sponsors the compound as LAT8881, and its registered protocol states that LAT8881 was formerly identified as AOD9604. The new programme moved away from obesity and into pain research.
NCT03865953 was a Phase 2a study of oral LAT8881 in neuropathic pain and was completed May 3, 2020.
NCT04153409 was a Phase 2 study of oral LAT8881 in acute migraine and was completed April 10, 2020.
No efficacy figures from those studies are needed to understand the pivot. The registered record shows a molecule that completed one development arc, acquired a new name, and entered a distinct field of investigation.
The 2024 compounding review
AOD-9604 was removed from Category 2 of FDA's interim 503A bulk drug substances list effective September 27, 2024, after the nominator withdrew the nomination. FDA then considered the free base and acetate forms through its Pharmacy Compounding Advisory Committee process.
At the committee's December 4, 2024 meeting, members voted 0 yes to 12 no, with no abstentions, that AOD-9604 free base and AOD-9604 acetate not be placed on the 503A Bulks List. FDA's briefing document concluded that the free base and acetate were "not well characterised," citing impurity, aggregation, and immunogenicity concerns for injectable use.
For materials that Curo does list, its testing standard consists of exactly three methods: HPLC, LC-MS, and endotoxin testing. The overview of Curo's quality and testing standard explains what each method examines, while the lot-matching COA verification guide explains how a report is connected to a specific lot.
The committee's later calendar did not reopen the AOD-9604 review. AOD-9604 was not among the substances reviewed at the July 23-24, 2026 meeting, which covered BPC-157, KPV, TB-500, MOTS-c, emideltide, semax, and epitalon.
Anti-doping status
The anti-doping record also changed in how it classified the compound. On April 22, 2013, WADA stated that AOD-9604 was still in development and had not been approved by any government health authority, placing it under section S0 of the Prohibited List for non-approved substances.
The current list is more explicit. WADA's 2026 Prohibited List, in force from January 1, 2026, names "AOD-9604 and hGH 176-191" under section S2 in the growth hormone fragments category. They are prohibited at all times as non-Specified Substances.
Common questions
Is AOD-9604 the same as full human growth hormone?
No. It is a synthetic peptide derived from the 176 to 191 region of human growth hormone. Its shorter sequence, chemical identifiers, and development history are distinct from those of the intact hormone.
Why does FDA call it LAT-8881?
LAT-8881 is the preferred name in FDA's substance registry. AOD-9604 and AOD9604 remain searchable synonyms, preserving the connection between the older obesity programme and the later Lateral Pharma studies.
Did the obesity programme reach a clear result?
Yes. METAOD006 was completed, its primary endpoint was not met, and development for that indication stopped. The outcome closed the original programme without erasing the value of the controlled research record.
Does Curo stock AOD-9604?
No. AOD-9604 is not in Curo's catalogue. This profile is provided as a neutral account of the compound's identity, clinical-development history, compounding review, and anti-doping status.