Which is better, AOD-9604 or semaglutide?
Semaglutide wins on every axis that matters: evidence grade (multiple large RCTs with weight and cardiovascular outcomes versus animal only), regulatory status (FDA approved as Wegovy, Ozempic, and Rybelsus versus a withdrawn compounding nomination with no bulks listing), and access (prescription at any pharmacy versus no lawful source). AOD-9604's sponsor ran human obesity trials that never produced an indexed positive result, and FDA's Category 2 review cited serious adverse events of unclear causality. [2] [4] [6] [7] [9] [10]
How do AOD-9604 and semaglutide compare?
| Dimension | AOD-9604 | SemaglutideFavored |
|---|---|---|
| Evidence grade [1] [2] [4] [5] [6] | Animal only. Mouse studies from one group around 2000 to 2001; no indexed human trial reporting weight loss. | Human RCT. STEP 1 (1,961 adults), SUSTAIN-6 (3,297 adults with type 2 diabetes), and SELECT (17,604 adults) among many trials. |
| Weight loss [2] [3] [4] | Reduced weight gain and fat mass in obese mice, with the effect lost in beta-3 adrenergic receptor knockout mice. No published human weight loss result. | 14.9% mean weight loss versus 2.4% with placebo at 68 weeks (STEP 1); 86.4% lost at least 5% of body weight. |
| Mechanism [1] [7] | C terminal fragment of growth hormone (residues 177 to 191) proposed to stimulate fat breakdown and inhibit fat synthesis without raising IGF-1 or glucose. | GLP-1 receptor agonist that reduces appetite through the brain, slows gastric emptying, raises glucose dependent insulin, and lowers glucagon. |
| Cardiovascular outcomes [5] [6] | None studied. | 20% relative reduction in major adverse cardiovascular events in SELECT (hazard ratio 0.80) and 26% in type 2 diabetes in SUSTAIN-6 (hazard ratio 0.74). |
| Side effects [4] [7] [9] | No systematic human safety data; FDA cited serious adverse events with unclear causality and immunogenicity risk from impurities. | Nausea (44% versus 16% placebo), diarrhea, vomiting, constipation; gallbladder disease, rare pancreatitis, and a boxed warning for thyroid C cell tumors in rodents. |
| FDA and compounding status [8] [9] [10] | Not FDA approved. Placed in 503A Category 2 in 2023; the nomination is now listed as withdrawn, so it is not on the bulks list and cannot be lawfully compounded. | FDA approved (Ozempic 2017, Rybelsus 2019, Wegovy 2021). Shortage based compounding ended in 2025 (503A by April 22, 503B by May 22). |
| WADA status [11] | Prohibited at all times under S2 as a growth hormone fragment. | Not prohibited. |
| Route and dosing [2] [4] [7] | Not established in humans; mice received roughly 250 ug/kg to 2 mg/kg per day. | Wegovy: 0.25 mg weekly, increased every 4 weeks to a 2.4 mg weekly maintenance dose; oral tablets also available. |
| Cost and access [7] [10] | No lawful source. Research chemical vials are not lawful for human use and are not verified. | Wegovy list price about 1,349 USD per month; manufacturer cash pricing roughly 349 to 499 USD; 0 to 25 USD with commercial coverage and a savings card. |
Evidence grade and regulatory status
Pulled from each peptide’s own record, so it stays in step with the peptide pages.
| Attribute | AOD-9604 | Semaglutide |
|---|---|---|
| Class | Synthetic 16 amino acid C terminal fragment of human growth hormone (residues 177 to 191 with an N terminal tyrosine) | GLP-1 receptor agonist (31 amino acid analog of human GLP-1, acylated for once weekly dosing) |
| What it is | Growth hormone fragment that raised fat burning in obese mice; no human trial in PubMed shows weight loss; FDA nomination withdrawn; banned by WADA. | FDA approved GLP-1 agonist with about 15% average weight loss in a 68 week RCT and proven cardiovascular benefit. |
| Evidence | Evidence: Animal-only evidence | Evidence: Human RCT evidence |
| FDA status | Regulatory: Removed from Category 2 (Apr 2026) | Regulatory: FDA approved |
| Compounding | Not FDA approved. FDA placed AOD-9604 in 503A Category 2 in 2023, citing immunogenicity risk, limited safety information, and serious adverse events with unclear causality. FDA's Category 2 page (current as of April 22, 2026) now lists AOD-9604 under bulk drug substances nominated but withdrawn, meaning the nominator withdrew it and it is no longer in Category 2. Because it has no active nomination and is not on the 503A bulks list, there is still no lawful basis for a compounding pharmacy to use it. It was not among the six peptides reviewed by the advisory committee in July 2026. | FDA approved products (Ozempic 2017, Rybelsus 2019, Wegovy 2021). FDA removed semaglutide from the drug shortage list on February 21, 2025; compounding by 503A pharmacies had to stop by April 22, 2025 and by 503B outsourcing facilities by May 22, 2025, except for a documented patient specific clinical need. FDA has warned about unapproved compounded and counterfeit GLP-1 products and salt forms (semaglutide sodium, semaglutide acetate) that are not the approved active ingredient. On April 30, 2026 FDA proposed not to include semaglutide on the 503B bulks list; that proposal was not final as of September 2026. Adding a vitamin such as B12 or niacinamide does not by itself make a compounded GLP-1 different from the approved drug. Under FDA's April 1, 2026 policy update, such a combination may be treated as essentially a copy when the strengths are within 10% of approved products and the route is the same, unless a prescriber documents a real difference for the individual patient. A September 2026 FDA warning letter applied this to semaglutide and tirzepatide vitamin combinations, said high production volume suggested the claimed differences were a pretext, and questioned significant-difference statements picked from preset menus on prescribing platforms. |
| WADA | WADA: WADA prohibited | WADA: Not WADA prohibited |
| Routes | Subcutaneous injection (as sold), Oral and injectable (mouse studies), Topical and intra-articular (promoted online, no published data) | Subcutaneous injection once weekly (Ozempic, Wegovy), Oral tablet once daily (Wegovy tablets, Ozempic tablets, Rybelsus) |
| Typical cost | Not available through licensed US channels since the 2023 Category 2 placement. Products sold as research chemicals are not lawful for human use and are not verified for identity or purity. | Manufacturer list price is 1,349.02 USD per month for Wegovy and 1,027.51 USD for Ozempic (checked 2026-09-22), falling to 675 USD for both on January 1, 2027. Manufacturer self-pay prices run 149 to 499 USD per month by product and dose, with the Wegovy pen at 349 USD. With commercial insurance the manufacturer savings offer can bring a covered prescription to 25 USD per month, and eligible Medicare Part D enrollees pay 50 USD per month for Wegovy under the Medicare GLP-1 Bridge (July 2026 to December 2027). A 2024 study found compounded semaglutide at a median 231 USD for the first month during the shortage; compounding is now limited to patient specific needs. |
| Last verified |
Has AOD-9604 been tested directly against semaglutide?
No published trial has compared AOD-9604 and semaglutide directly. The dimensions above come from separate studies and labels, and cross-trial comparisons are less reliable than a direct trial.
What do AOD-9604 and semaglutide cost?
| Dimension | AOD-9604 | Semaglutide |
|---|---|---|
| Typical cost | Not available through licensed US channels since the 2023 Category 2 placement. Products sold as research chemicals are not lawful for human use and are not verified for identity or purity. | $149 to $1,349 per month |
| Price detail | AOD-9604 price by channel | Semaglutide price by channel |
Where a price index exists, the range is the cash price per month across branded, compounded, and telehealth channels, without insurance. The cost pages give each channel separately with its sources. Otherwise the typical cost from the peptide record is shown. Legal access depends on your state: see peptide legality by state.
Frequently asked questions
Does AOD-9604 work for weight loss like semaglutide?
There is no published human evidence that it does. AOD-9604 reduced fat mass in obese mice, but the sponsor's human obesity trials did not produce an indexed positive result and the program was discontinued. Semaglutide produced 14.9% average weight loss in the 68 week STEP 1 trial. [2] [4]
Is AOD-9604 safer than semaglutide?
It is not known to be. AOD-9604 has no systematic human safety data, and FDA cited serious adverse events of unclear causality when it placed it in Category 2. Semaglutide has well characterized side effects, mainly gastrointestinal, from trials involving tens of thousands of people. [4] [7] [9]
Can I get AOD-9604 from a compounding pharmacy?
Not lawfully. FDA lists AOD-9604's nomination as withdrawn from Category 2, and it is not on the 503A bulks list, so there is no basis for a pharmacy to compound it. [9] [10]
Can athletes use either one?
AOD-9604 is prohibited at all times under WADA section S2 as a growth hormone fragment. Semaglutide is not on the prohibited list. [11]
What if semaglutide is too expensive?
The manufacturer sells Wegovy direct to consumers at roughly 349 to 499 USD per month, and commercial coverage with a savings card can bring the cost to 25 USD or less. Compounded semaglutide is no longer permitted for routine use since the 2025 shortage resolution. [7] [8]
Conditions studied
From the blog
- Peptides for weight loss, ranked by human evidence
Tirzepatide, semaglutide, and liraglutide lead on human trials. Retatrutide is trial-only, and AOD-9604 and 5-amino-1MQ are animal-only. Ranking, legal status, and dated prices.
Sources
Numbered citations above point to these primary sources. PubMed entries link to the indexed abstract.
- [1]Ng FM et al. Metabolic studies of a synthetic lipolytic domain (AOD9604) of human growth hormone. Horm Res 2000PubMed 11146367, 2000
- [2]Heffernan M et al. The effects of human GH and its lipolytic fragment (AOD9604) on lipid metabolism following chronic treatment in obese mice and beta(3)-AR knock-out mice. Endocrinology 2001PubMed 11713213, 2001
- [3]Heffernan MA et al. Increase of fat oxidation and weight loss in obese mice caused by chronic treatment with human growth hormone or a modified C-terminal fragment. Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord 2001PubMed 11673763, 2001
- [4]Wilding JPH et al. Once-weekly semaglutide in adults with overweight or obesity. N Engl J Med 2021 (STEP 1)PubMed 33567185, 2021
- [5]Marso SP et al. Semaglutide and cardiovascular outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes. N Engl J Med 2016 (SUSTAIN-6)PubMed 27633186, 2016
- [6]Lincoff AM et al. Semaglutide and cardiovascular outcomes in obesity without diabetes. N Engl J Med 2023 (SELECT)PubMed 37952131, 2023
- [7]FDA prescribing information for Wegovy (semaglutide) injection, via DailyMedFDA
- [8]FDA: concerns with unapproved GLP-1 drugs used for weight loss, including shortage resolution and compounding deadlinesFDA
- [9]FDA: Certain bulk drug substances for use in compounding may present significant safety risks (Category 2 list and withdrawn nominations, content current as of April 22, 2026)FDA
- [10]FDA: Bulk drug substances used in compounding under section 503A of the FD&C ActFDA
- [11]WADA Prohibited List, section S2 (growth hormone fragments, e.g. AOD-9604 and hGH 176-191)WADA
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