Cagrilintide
Mechanism
Research
Stacks
Protocol
Safety
References
Research & Education Only — This guide is intended for educational and research reference purposes only. It does not constitute medical advice, a treatment recommendation, or a dosing protocol. Peptides listed are research compounds not approved for human therapeutic use unless otherwise specified. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making changes to any health or supplementation programme. No Nonsense Fitness is an information resource, not a medical provider.

TL;DR

Cagrilintide is a long-acting amylin analogue being studied for weight management. Phase 2 data support an effect as a standalone compound, while Phase 3 trials have tested it with semaglutide as CagriSema. The combination produced substantial average weight loss in trials, with gastrointestinal effects among the most common adverse events. Trial results do not make it an approved or suitable treatment for any individual.

What is Cagrilintide?

Cagrilintide is a long-acting amylin analogue developed by Novo Nordisk, engineered using fatty acid acylation technology (the same approach used in semaglutide) to extend its half-life to approximately once-weekly dosing. Amylin is a hormone co-secreted with insulin by pancreatic beta cells that contributes to satiety, slows gastric emptying, and suppresses glucagon secretion. Cagrilintide research is directed at reproducing and extending these effects for use in obesity and, in combination, type 2 diabetes research. The compound has been most prominently studied as part of "CagriSema," a fixed-dose combination of cagrilintide and semaglutide (a GLP-1 receptor agonist), on the basis that amylin and GLP-1 pathways act on complementary, partially non-overlapping appetite and satiety circuits, offering a rationale for combined-pathway research beyond what either agent achieves alone. This guide is for educational and research purposes only. Not medical advice.

How strong is the evidence?

Evidence Type Status
Human RCT
Observational
Animal Studies
In Vitro
Regulatory Approval ✗ (not yet approved; under regulatory review as part of CagriSema as of the compound's most recent trial data)

How does Cagrilintide work?

Cagrilintide acts as an agonist at amylin receptors (formed from calcitonin receptor core proteins complexed with receptor activity-modifying proteins), as well as showing some activity at calcitonin receptors. Amylin receptor activation in the area postrema and hypothalamus contributes to reduced food intake through mechanisms distinct from, but complementary to, GLP-1 receptor signalling — including slowed gastric emptying and reduced meal size via central satiety pathways. The fatty acid acylation used in cagrilintide's design (analogous to the modification used in semaglutide) allows the peptide to bind reversibly to albumin in the bloodstream, protecting it from rapid renal clearance and enzymatic degradation, and extending its half-life to support once-weekly subcutaneous dosing. In the CagriSema combination, cagrilintide's amylin-pathway effects on satiety and gastric emptying are researched as additive to semaglutide's GLP-1-mediated effects on appetite and insulin secretion.

What has Cagrilintide been studied for?

Monotherapy Weight Management Trials

Phase II trials of cagrilintide as a standalone agent reported dose-dependent weight loss in people with obesity, with the highest arm studied in those trials (2.4 mg weekly) associated with meaningfully greater weight reduction than placebo over 26 weeks in published trial data.

CagriSema Combination (Cagrilintide + Semaglutide)

The REDEFINE Phase 3 trial programme evaluated CagriSema in people with obesity and overweight, including participants with and without type 2 diabetes. Published REDEFINE 1 results (2024) reported average weight loss of approximately 20.4% over 68 weeks in participants without diabetes on CagriSema, compared with a smaller reduction on semaglutide alone and placebo, though the results in participants with type 2 diabetes (REDEFINE 2) showed a smaller magnitude of weight loss than had been anticipated, prompting continued research interest in optimising the combination and dosing strategy.

Glycaemic and Metabolic Parameters

Trials assessing CagriSema in populations with type 2 diabetes have reported reductions in HbA1c alongside weight loss, consistent with the complementary glucagon-suppressing and satiety-enhancing mechanisms of amylin and GLP-1 receptor pathways studied together.

What did the studies actually find?

Study / Model Reported Effect
Phase Ib/II Monotherapy Trial (Lau DCW et al., Lancet 2021) Reported dose-dependent weight loss with cagrilintide monotherapy versus placebo over 26 weeks, with favourable tolerability at studied doses.
REDEFINE 1 Phase 3 (2024, NEJM/company disclosure) CagriSema reported approximately 20.4% mean weight loss at 68 weeks in adults with obesity/overweight without diabetes, versus semaglutide alone and placebo comparator arms.
REDEFINE 2 Phase 3 (2024, type 2 diabetes population) Reported weight loss and HbA1c reduction in participants with type 2 diabetes, though weight-loss magnitude was reported as below internal expectations, prompting continued analysis.
Preclinical Rodent Amylin Receptor Studies Confirmed amylin/calcitonin receptor agonism and reduced food intake in rodent obesity models, supporting the translational rationale for human trials.

What has Cagrilintide been studied alongside?

  • Cagrilintide + Semaglutide (CagriSema) → Research rationale: The primary studied combination — pairing an amylin receptor agonist with a GLP-1 receptor agonist to target complementary appetite and satiety pathways, studied extensively in the Phase 3 REDEFINE programme.
  • Cagrilintide monotherapy → Research rationale: Studied independently in earlier Phase Ib/II trials to characterise the isolated effect of amylin receptor agonism prior to combination trials.
⚠️ Stack combinations listed for research reference only. Not safety or efficacy guidance.

Why there are no doses on this page

This site does not publish doses, durations or frequencies for any compound. Published research protocols for this compound vary considerably between studies in design, intensity and duration. Those details are not something to copy from a fitness website — anyone researching this compound should read the primary literature directly and talk to a doctor who knows their bloods.

What side effects were reported?

  • Gastrointestinal effects (nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, constipation) — most common, consistent with amylin/GLP-1 pathway agents
  • Injection site reactions
  • Reduced appetite (expected pharmacological effect)
  • Discontinuation due to gastrointestinal adverse events reported in a subset of trial participants, similar in pattern to other incretin/amylin-pathway agents

Reported safety profile across REDEFINE trials was broadly consistent with the known tolerability profile of GLP-1 and amylin receptor agonists as a drug class; no unexpected safety signals specific to cagrilintide were highlighted in published Phase 3 data as of the most recent trial readouts.

Cagrilintide at a glance

CAS Number
1849590-01-9
Molecular Formula
C217H358N48O66 (approximate, long-acting acylated amylin analogue)
Molecular Weight
Approximately 4691 g/mol
Half-Life
Approximately 7 days (supports once-weekly subcutaneous dosing), due to fatty-acid albumin-binding modification
Synonyms
NNC0174-0833, Cagrilintide (INN), component of CagriSema (with semaglutide)
Research Classification
Long-Acting Amylin Analogue, Amylin/Calcitonin Receptor Agonist

The research this page cites

  • Lau DCW et al. 2021 — Once-weekly cagrilintide for weight management in people with overweight and obesity: a multicentre, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled and active-controlled, dose-finding phase 2 trial. — Lancet (London, England) — [Human RCT]
  • Garvey WT et al. 2025 — Coadministered Cagrilintide and Semaglutide in Adults with Overweight or Obesity. — The New England journal of medicine — [Human RCT]
  • Davies MJ et al. 2025 — Cagrilintide-Semaglutide in Adults with Overweight or Obesity and Type 2 Diabetes. — The New England journal of medicine — [Human RCT]
  • Enebo LB et al. 2021 — Safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacodynamics of concomitant administration of multiple doses of cagrilintide with semaglutide 2·4 mg for weight management: a randomised, controlled, phase 1b trial. — Lancet (London, England) — [Human RCT, Phase Ib]

Research base note: Cagrilintide has a well-documented Phase 2 and Phase 3 clinical trial record, primarily as part of the CagriSema combination, published in high-impact peer-reviewed journals and company disclosures. As of the most recent published data, cagrilintide/CagriSema had not yet completed full regulatory approval; readers should check current regulatory status independently before treating any approval-related claim as final.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Cagrilintide and is it the same as Ozempic or Wegovy?

No. Cagrilintide is a long-acting amylin analogue, a different hormone pathway to semaglutide, the GLP-1 in Ozempic and Wegovy. Amylin receptor activation contributes to satiety and slowed gastric emptying through a mechanism separate from, but complementary to, GLP-1 signalling.

What is CagriSema?

CagriSema is the fixed-dose combination of cagrilintide with semaglutide, studied in the Phase 3 REDEFINE trial programme on the rationale that amylin and GLP-1 pathways act on complementary appetite circuits. Published REDEFINE 1 data reported around 20.4% average weight loss at 68 weeks in participants without diabetes.

Is Cagrilintide approved for use in Ireland?

Not as of the most recent published trial data. Cagrilintide and CagriSema were still under regulatory review at the time of this compound's most recent trial disclosures, and readers should check current EMA and HPRA status independently rather than treat approval as final.

What side effects were reported in the Cagrilintide and CagriSema trials?

Gastrointestinal effects, including nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea and constipation, were the most commonly reported, consistent with other amylin- and GLP-1-pathway agents. Published Phase 3 data did not highlight any safety signal specific to cagrilintide beyond the known tolerability profile of this drug class.

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