AOD-9604 runs $0.80-1.40/mg across reputable vendors — here's how 2mg vials stack up, what a real COA shows, and the three vendors worth ordering from.
AOD-9604 is the modified C-terminal fragment of human growth hormone, engineered to keep the lipolytic (fat-burning) signal while stripping out the blood-glucose and IGF-1 effects of full-length hGH. It stalled in Phase IIb for obesity — not on safety, but because the weight-loss signal was too modest to justify a new drug. That ended its pharma career and launched its research-peptide one.
This guide covers what to pay per milligram, how to pick between 2mg and 5mg vials, what a real COA for a 15-residue peptide should show, and the three vendors worth your order. AOD-9604 is cheap to synthesize correctly, so there is no excuse for a vendor to skip third-party testing.
This is not a ranked vendor list — for that, see our Best AOD-9604 Vendors comparison. This guide teaches you how to evaluate any vendor yourself.
Understanding AOD-9604 Pricing
AOD-9604 ships as a lyophilized powder in sealed glass vials, typically 2mg, 5mg, or 10mg. Three factors move price: vial size (bigger is cheaper per mg), vendor reputation/testing overhead, and whether the vendor runs active promotions. The spread across reputable vendors is tight — roughly $0.80-1.40/mg — and anything below that range on a 15-amino-acid peptide should raise a quality flag.
The pattern is clear: 5mg is the sweet spot for most users. Jumping to 10mg drops per-mg cost another ~15% but stretches past the stability window unless you split reconstitution.
Cheapest single-vial option: Ascension Peptides's 50% off drops the 5mg vial to $32.49 ($6.50/mg effective) — the lowest effective price we track for buying one vial. Get the code →
Cost Per Week at Common Doses
Weekly Dose
Monthly Cost (2mg vial)
Monthly Cost (5mg vial)
Savings
1.4 mg/week (200 mcg/day)
$27-52
$20-38
~25%
2.1 mg/week (300 mcg/day)
$40-77
$30-55
~28%
4.2 mg/week (300 mcg 2x/day)
$81-155
$60-110
~28%
For current vendor-specific pricing with exact $/mg breakdowns, see our Best AOD-9604 Vendors comparison.
How to Verify AOD-9604 Quality
AOD-9604 is a 16-amino-acid modified hGH fragment (hGH 177-191 + N-terminal tyrosine) with a molecular weight of approximately 1,815.1 Da. It's small, well-characterized, and straightforward to synthesize — which means contamination or sequence errors on a modern COA are inexcusable, not unavoidable.
What a COA (Certificate of Analysis) Should Include
Identity Confirmation
Mass spectrometry confirming correct molecular weight (~1,815.1 Da for AOD-9604)
Vial size selection is a tradeoff between per-mg cost and the reconstituted stability window.
The 28-Day Rule
Once mixed with bacteriostatic water, AOD-9604 is stable for up to 28 days refrigerated. Sterile water (no preservative) drops this to ~24 hours. That creates a simple rule: don't reconstitute more than you can use in 28 days.
Vial Size
At 200 mcg/day
At 300 mcg/day
At 300 mcg 2x/day
2 mg
10 days
6 days
3 days
5 mg
25 days
16 days
8 days
10 mg
50 days
33 days
16 days
The 10mg vial at a single 300 mcg/day dose exceeds the 28-day window — split it across two reconstitutions, or step down to 5mg.
Solution: Only reconstitute what you'll use in 28 days. Unreconstituted powder stays stable for months refrigerated.
Recommended Vial Size by Protocol
Tolerance testing or stack trials (2mg/day range):
Start with a 2mg vial — low upfront cost to confirm tolerance before committing.
Standard fat-loss protocol (300 mcg/day):
5mg vial — lasts ~16 days at 300 mcg/day, inside the stability window, and the best per-mg value for most users.
Higher doses or GLP-1 stacks (300 mcg 2x/day):
10mg vial, reconstituted in halves — pair with a semaglutide or tirzepatide protocol for layered metabolic stacking.
Buying Multiple Smaller vs One Large Vial
Factor
Multiple Small (e.g., 2× 5mg)
One Large (1× 10mg)
Cost per mg
Higher ($7-13/mg)
Lower ($6-11/mg)
Freshness
Better (reconstitute as needed)
Risk of degradation
Flexibility
Can stop anytime
Committed to full supply
Storage
Easier
Requires split reconstitution
Shipping
More frequent orders
Single shipment
Our recommendation: For nearly all users, a 5mg vial per ~16-day cycle hits the best balance of cost, freshness, and simplicity. Only move to 10mg if you're dosing twice daily or running AOD alongside a GLP-1.
Vendor Evaluation Methodology
When comparing AOD-9604 vendors, we weight three factors.
Price Competitiveness (40%)
We normalize to cost per milligram across vial sizes. A vendor selling 10mg at $75 ($7.50/mg) beats one selling 5mg at $55 ($11/mg), all else equal.
COA & Testing (30%)
We check that COAs are from recognized third-party labs, recent (≤6 months), verifiable on the lab's website, and cover identity, purity, and contamination.
Reputation (30%)
Peptide-forum feedback, shipping reliability, customer-service responsiveness, and multi-year operating history. Batch-recall history counts against a vendor even when the underlying issue was resolved.
Shipping and Storage
What to Expect When Your Order Arrives
Lyophilized AOD-9604 arrives as a white or off-white powder cake in a sealed glass vial. Check:
Vial integrity — no cracks, rubber stopper seated, aluminum cap intact
Powder appearance — solid cake or loose powder, NOT liquid or discolored
Labeling — batch/lot, milligram content, "for research use only"
Cold pack — reputable vendors ship with cold packs in warm months
Storage Guidelines
State
Temperature
Duration
Lyophilized (powder)
Room temp
Weeks (shipping only)
Lyophilized (powder)
Refrigerated (2-8°C)
12-24 months
Lyophilized (powder)
Frozen (-20°C)
2+ years
Reconstituted (BAC water)
Refrigerated (2-8°C)
28 days max
Reconstituted (sterile water)
Refrigerated (2-8°C)
24 hours
Key point: Keep unreconstituted vials refrigerated and only mix what you'll use within 28 days. See our AOD-9604 reconstitution approach for mixing specifics.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is AOD-9604 legal to buy?
AOD-9604 is sold as a research chemical and is legal to purchase in most jurisdictions for laboratory use. It is not FDA-approved for human use — Phase IIb obesity trials stopped at the efficacy stage — and vendors label product 'not for human consumption.' Australia's TGA lists it as a Schedule 4 substance.
How much does AOD-9604 cost per month?
At the standard 300 mcg/day community protocol, AOD-9604 runs about $20-40/month. A 5mg vial covers roughly 16 days at 300 mcg/day, so most users buy 2 vials per month. Stacking with semaglutide or tirzepatide doesn't meaningfully change AOD cost since AOD is the cheaper input.
What vial size should I buy — 2mg or 5mg?
For 300 mcg/day (standard dose), a 5mg vial lasts ~16 days and beats the 2mg vial on per-mg cost by about 30%. Only choose 2mg if you're testing tolerance or splitting a stack across multiple peptides. 10mg vials are rare and usually not worth the stability risk.
What purity should I look for in AOD-9604?
Look for third-party HPLC testing showing 98%+ purity and mass spec confirming the 1,815.1 Da molecular weight (the C-terminal fragment of hGH, residues 177-191 with a tyrosine added). Reputable vendors post COAs from Janoshik Analytical or MZ Biolabs with verifiable task numbers.
Can I buy AOD-9604 from a pharmacy?
Historically some US compounding pharmacies produced AOD-9604, but with FDA's 2026 peptide reclassification most pharmacies have dropped it. It is now primarily available through research peptide vendors. Verify pharmacy access in your state before assuming it's an option.
This article is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice and should not be used to diagnose, treat, or prevent any condition. Consult a licensed healthcare provider before using any peptide.
