What Is Cagrilintide?
Cagrilintide is an investigational long-acting amylin analog — a peptide that mimics the pancreatic hormone amylin (acting on amylin/calcitonin receptors) to slow gastric emptying and promote satiety. It is being developed for weight management, most prominently in a fixed combination with the GLP-1 agonist semaglutide (the combination is called CagriSema), on the rationale that amylin and GLP-1 pathways are distinct and additive. It is not an approved drug and is not a dietary supplement; it is available only within clinical trials (and, illicitly, as an unapproved research chemical). This entry is informational only.
Evidence
In a phase 1b randomised, controlled trial in adults with overweight/obesity, adding once-weekly cagrilintide to semaglutide 2.4 mg produced greater weight loss than semaglutide alone over 20 weeks, supporting an additive amylin + GLP-1 effect 1Reference 1RCTSafety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacodynamics of concomitant administration of multiple doses of cagrilintide with semaglutide 2·4 mg for weight management — randomised controlled phase 1b trialView study →. A separate phase 2 dose-finding randomised, double-blind, placebo- and active-controlled trial of once-weekly cagrilintide monotherapy in overweight/obese adults reported dose-dependent weight loss and an acceptable tolerability profile 2Reference 2RCTOnce-weekly cagrilintide for weight management in people with overweight and obesity — randomised, double-blind, placebo- and active-controlled, dose-finding phase 2 trialView study →. These early-phase results motivated the larger CagriSema (REDEFINE) programme, which was not individually retrieved and verified in this quick pass and should be added in a full pass. Reported adverse effects are predominantly gastrointestinal, consistent with the drug class. Long-term efficacy and safety are not yet established.
Dosage & Safety
The once-weekly subcutaneous doses studied (up to ~2.4 mg, titrated) are investigational and reported for information only 1Reference 1RCTSafety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacodynamics of concomitant administration of multiple doses of cagrilintide with semaglutide 2·4 mg for weight management — randomised controlled phase 1b trialView study →2Reference 2RCTOnce-weekly cagrilintide for weight management in people with overweight and obesity — randomised, double-blind, placebo- and active-controlled, dose-finding phase 2 trialView study →; they are not a recommendation. Cagrilintide is not approved, and material sold outside clinical trials is an unapproved research chemical of unverified identity and purity. Long-term safety, drug interactions, and use in pregnancy are not established and were not assessed in this pass. Informational only.
References
- 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 — randomised controlled phase 1b trial. Lancet, 397:1736–1748. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33894838/
- Lau DCW, et al. (2021). Once-weekly cagrilintide for weight management in people with overweight and obesity — randomised, double-blind, placebo- and active-controlled, dose-finding phase 2 trial. Lancet, 398:2160–2172. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34798060/