What it is: A weekly injectable analog of amylin, a pancreatic hormone that signals fullness after meals and slows digestion.
Research suggests: Combined with semaglutide in the CagriSema trial, it showed greater weight loss than either compound alone, with results exceeding 15% body weight reduction.
Best for: Obesity and metabolic health researchers
Key thing to know: Not yet approved on its own; currently in Phase 3 development as a fixed combination with semaglutide (CagriSema).
What is Cagrilintide?
Cagrilintide is a long-acting synthetic analog of amylin, a peptide hormone co-secreted with insulin by pancreatic beta cells at mealtimes. Amylin plays a complementary role to insulin: it slows gastric emptying, suppresses post-meal glucagon secretion, and signals satiety via brainstem receptors. In type 2 diabetes, amylin secretion is impaired alongside insulin, contributing to post-meal glucose dysregulation.
Cagrilintide was engineered as a long-acting, once-weekly subcutaneous analog, extending the short duration of native amylin. It is being developed by Novo Nordisk and is best known as a component of CagriSema, a fixed-ratio cagrilintide-plus-semaglutide combination targeting both the GLP-1 and amylin receptors for greater appetite reduction than either alone.
Research interest is concentrated in obesity, type 2 diabetes, and the broader category of metabolic health, with Phase 3 trials ongoing through the REDEFINE program as of 2025.
How it works.
In research, the proposed mechanism has several parts.
Amylin signaling: Amylin acts on receptors in the area postrema and nucleus tractus solitarius of the brainstem, regions involved in satiety and nausea regulation. Activating them slows gastric emptying, reducing how fast food-derived glucose enters the bloodstream after a meal. It also suppresses post-meal glucagon secretion, which would otherwise raise blood glucose.
Central satiety: Centrally, amylin promotes satiety through pathways that are distinct from but additive to GLP-1 signaling.
The long-acting analog: Cagrilintide reproduces these effects with a duration of action suitable for once-weekly administration. The rationale for combining it with semaglutide is that GLP-1 and amylin act through different but complementary brain circuits for appetite and food intake regulation. GLP-1 primarily targets receptors in the brainstem, hypothalamus, and vagal afferents.
Where it acts: Amylin primarily acts in the area postrema and nucleus tractus solitarius through a different receptor complex. Activating both pathways simultaneously produces greater total appetite suppression than saturating either pathway alone.
Complementary to GLP-1: Think of GLP-1 as targeting one satiety pathway and amylin another. When both are active, the combined signal to reduce food intake is stronger than either mechanism alone. Phase 2 trial data confirmed this additive effect, with the combination producing meaningfully greater weight loss than semaglutide alone at matched doses.
What the research shows.
The research evidence breaks down as follows.
CagriSema Phase 2: Phase 2 data for CagriSema (cagrilintide plus semaglutide) showed average weight loss of about 15.6% over 32 weeks in adults with overweight or obesity, up to 17.1% in the highest-dose groups. These results exceeded semaglutide alone in comparable populations — direct clinical evidence that the combination produces additive weight loss beyond GLP-1 monotherapy.
As monotherapy: As a monotherapy, cagrilintide also shows meaningful weight loss and is generally well-tolerated, with a GI side-effect profile similar to other incretin-class compounds during dose escalation. The Phase 2 data is well-constructed and provides a credible foundation for the ongoing Phase 3 program, though Phase 3 results were not published at the time of writing.
Phase 3 pending: The key limitation is that Phase 3 trials are still ongoing. Phase 2 results, while compelling, involve smaller sample sizes and shorter durations than Phase 3 programs. Long-term safety, cardiovascular outcomes, and efficacy in more diverse populations are questions that Phase 3 data will address.
Regulatory status: Approval is pending Phase 3 results and regulatory review.
Biomarkers to review first.
Research protocols for cagrilintide typically reference the following biomarkers as baseline context. Given its effects on metabolic function and glycemic regulation, understanding your current metabolic status is important before any protocol consideration.
What it's commonly researched with.
Cagrilintide is most notably studied in direct combination with semaglutide as the CagriSema formulation. Research also involves comparisons to other leading metabolic compounds. The combinations below reflect what researchers have studied, not recommendations for use.
Goals & biomarkers connected to this peptide.
Go deeper
How cagrilintide's amylin-based approach relates to the GLP-1 metabolic peptide class.
Read Research →