ATX-304 (O-304)_Dosage, benefits & legal status
Also known as O-304, ATX304
An exercise mimetic that got through a phase 2a trial and then went quiet.
Common vial size is what vendors typically sell, not a recommendation. Enter your own vial in the calculator.
What is ATX-304 (O-304)?
Plain language first. The technical label stays, but it never stands alone.Overview
It holds down the switch the body normally flips during exercise or fasting.
ATX-304 is a first-in-class pan-AMPK activator that works by protecting the Thr172 site from dephosphorylation, keeping AMPK switched on without lowering cellular ATP.
What it's used for
An oral AMPK activator sold as an exercise mimetic, with one real human trial behind it and nothing since.
How does ATX-304 (O-304) work?
What it does in the body, and where.AMPK is the low-energy alarm. Most things that activate it do so by making the cell short of energy.
- 01AMPK switches on when cellular energy runs lowExercise and fasting do this. So does metformin, indirectly.
- 02ATX-304 blocks the off switch insteadIt stops the phosphatase from removing the phosphate at Thr172, so AMPK stays active without ATP falling.
- 03It needs existing AMPK activity to work onIn cells with no baseline AMPK activity it did nothing, so it amplifies a signal rather than creating one.
- 04The downstream effects are the familiar onesMore fat oxidation, more glucose uptake in muscle, and in the human trial, lower fasting glucose and better small-vessel blood flow.
A schematic of the compound's mechanism, not a diagnostic image.
What else is it used for?
Each use below carries its own evidence level. Approved means regulators have cleared it for that purpose. Investigational means it is in trials. Early research means it is being studied and is not established.
- Glucose control and microvascular perfusion in type 2 diabetesInvestigational
- Fatty liver diseaseEarly research
- Protecting the kidney against cisplatin injuryEarly research
- Endurance and fat loss, as soldResearch only
The published record
Papers and trials about ATX-304 (O-304)
Furthest stage reached: No clinical trial on record
Counted from Europe PMC indexing, not read by a person; a human tag can land on reviews, commentary or lab papers; clinical trial publications is the narrower count.
At a glance
Four things to know about ATX-304 (O-304)
Evidence
Category
Weight loss and metabolic
Common vial
Varies
Half-life
Long in rodents, unverified in humans
How much, and do you cycle it?
The range, and whether you take breaks.400 mg per day, once daily in the trial. Continuous in the one human trial Trial dose
The phase 2a trial ran it daily for 28 days alongside metformin, with no break. Nothing longer has been published, so there is no evidence either way about extended use.
Long in rodents, unverified in humansNo figure
The original paper describes it as orally available in rodents with a long plasma half-life, and notes it does not cross the blood-brain barrier. No human figure has been verified here.
You can compare this against the whole library to see where it sits.
What does it cost?
Typical dose and cost, in plain numbers.ATX-304 (O-304) is not injected
It is taken by mouth (oral). The phase 1b study gave 400 mg once a day by mouth for eight weeks to 23 adults with obesity and prediabetes.
ATX-304 (O-304) starts at $119.90 across 6 vendors.
6 listings, last read Oct 11, 2026. Shipping and card fees are not included.
How do you store it?
Before mixing, and after.Room temperature. Cool, dry, out of light.
ATX-304 (O-304) is taken as a pill or capsule. Keep it in its original container at room temperature, away from heat, humidity, and direct sun. No fridge or mixing needed. Check the expiration date on the bottle.
What are the side effects and cautions?
Known cautions and warnings for this compound.Who should avoid it
- Pregnancy and breastfeeding
- Taking metformin or other glucose-lowering drugs, without medical supervision, since the trial combined them deliberately
- Any condition affecting blood sugar control
- Banned in drug-tested sport
Stop and get help
- Signs of low blood sugar such as shakiness, sweating, confusion or a pounding heartbeat
- Persistent vomiting or severe stomach pain
- Any new or unexplained symptom that starts after beginning it
- Signs of an allergic reaction such as face or throat swelling, hives, or trouble breathing
Common effects
- Reported as well tolerated alongside metformin in the phase 2a trial
- Gut upset
- The side effect profile outside that one trial is unknown
Where this page says nothing is established, that means nobody has studied it, not that a compound is safe.
Is ATX-304 (O-304) approved?
And where the numbers on this page come from.No. ATX-304 (O-304) is not approved for any use, anywhere. It is sold labeled for laboratory research only, and there is no legal route to buy it for human use.
- Approval statusResearch only
- RouteBy mouth (oral)
- Checked20 September 2026
- DoseFrom published clinical trials. Not approved by a regulator for this dose.
- Vial sizeFrom what vendors typically list; not a recommendation.
- Sources
What has happened recently
Not approved anywhere. The program is active again: Cambrian Bio reported phase 1b results in June 2026 and has announced two phase 2 studies, REWIRE-1 and REWIRE-2. It came out of Betagenon and Umea University in Sweden, and the human evidence is a single proof-of-concept phase 2a trial in type 2 diabetes patients already taking metformin, published in JCI Insight in 2018. That trial reported lower fasting plasma glucose, improved insulin resistance scores and better microvascular perfusion. Everything published since has been animal work in fatty liver, kidney injury and cardiac function. AMPK activators are prohibited in sport at all times by WADA as metabolic modulators, the same category as AICAR.
Banned in drug-tested sport. Most research peptides are prohibited under WADA's S0 category, which covers any substance with no approval from any regulatory authority for human use. That means a compound can be banned without ever being named on the prohibited list. Check with your own anti-doping authority rather than assuming absence from the list means permitted.
You can compare this against the whole library, or read how to check a seller.
If you're weighing ATX-304 (O-304), it's worth reading SR9009 (Stenabolic), 710GO, and Adropin in the same class.
An exercise mimetic that got through a phase 2a trial and then went quiet.
- Dose
- 400 mg per day
- How often
- Once daily in the trial
A body clock drug sold as a workout replacement, with an oral absorption problem.
- Dose
- Research only
- How often
- Not established
An experimental weight-loss pill aimed at two melanocortin receptors instead of one, so far tested only in animals.
- Dose
- No human dose disclosed
- How often
- Not established (daily in monkeys)
A metabolic hormone measured in blood, sold as though the measurement were a treatment.
- Dose
- Research only
- How often
- Not established
Guides for this compound
- mcg vs mg: The Peptide Dosing Mistake to Avoid
Your vial says mg and your protocol says mcg. Here is the conversion and how to check it.
- How to Read a Peptide COA
What the purity number does and does not tell you, and how to spot an edited report.
- How to Vet a Peptide Vendor
Independent COAs, HPLC purity, and the red flags that mean walk away.
- Semaglutide vs Tirzepatide vs Retatrutide
One receptor, two, or three. Mechanism, trial weight loss, side effects, and real cost.
Sources
- Steneberg et al., PAN-AMPK activator O304, JCI Insight(2018)Phase 2a proof-of-concept trial in type 2 diabetes patients on metformin; lower fasting glucose, improved HOMA-IR and microvascular perfusion.
- Steneberg et al., PubMed record(2018)Primary citation for the human data.
- Thieroff-Ekerdt et al., ADA 2026 abstract 1782-P(2026)Phase 1b in 23 adults with obesity and prediabetes, 400 mg once daily for 8 weeks; liver fat, visceral fat and triglycerides fell, adiponectin and resting metabolic rate rose.
Beyond these, 4 records are indexed. Browse the records