Cagrilintide

Overview

Cagrilintide is an investigational long-acting analogue of amylin, a hormone released by the pancreas alongside insulin that helps signal fullness after eating. It is being studied primarily for weight management in people with overweight or obesity.

Much of the recent attention around cagrilintide comes from CagriSema, a once-weekly fixed combination of cagrilintide and the GLP-1 receptor agonist semaglutide. In the phase 3 REDEFINE 1 trial, this combination was studied for substantial average weight reduction over 68 weeks, with cagrilintide and semaglutide alone serving as comparators.

Cagrilintide is not approved for use by the FDA or other major regulators and remains investigational. It has mostly been evaluated in clinical trials rather than in general clinical practice.

How it works

Amylin, the hormone cagrilintide is modeled on, is commonly described as reducing appetite and slowing gastric emptying, complementing the effects of insulin. Cagrilintide is engineered to be longer-acting than native amylin, allowing once-weekly dosing in the trials that have studied it.

Preclinical work suggests cagrilintide acts through amylin receptors in the brain — one recent study reported that its effect on body weight depended on amylin receptor subtypes 1 and 3 in mouse models. Because its mechanism differs from that of GLP-1 drugs, it has been studied in combination with semaglutide to explore whether the two pathways together produce a larger effect than either alone.

Reported benefits

• Studied for meaningful weight reduction, particularly in combination with semaglutide (CagriSema)
• Reported reductions in appetite and increased feelings of fullness
• Trials have also examined markers such as waist circumference, blood pressure, and glycemic measures

These are outcomes reported in clinical trials, not guaranteed results, and the combination data reflect cagrilintide used alongside semaglutide rather than on its own.

Considerations & side effects

The most frequently reported side effects in cagrilintide trials have been gastrointestinal — commonly nausea, constipation, and diarrhea — along with injection-site reactions. This profile is broadly similar to that seen with other appetite-modulating injectables.

Because cagrilintide is still investigational, its long-term safety in broad, real-world use is not yet established, and much of the strongest efficacy data comes from combination therapy rather than cagrilintide alone. It is not a substitute for evaluation and treatment by a qualified clinician.