Cagrilintide

Cagrilintide is a long-acting amylin analog developed by Novo Nordisk as a once-weekly injectable for the treatment of obesity. Amylin is a peptide hormone co-secreted with insulin from pancreatic beta cells; it plays a key role in regulating satiety by acting on homeostatic and hedonic regions of the brain, slowing gastric emptying, and suppressing glucagon release. Cagrilintide replicates and substantially extends these effects through modifications that increase its half-life and receptor binding stability compared to native amylin.

Phase 2 data published in The Lancet (2021) established the dose-ranging profile of cagrilintide as monotherapy, demonstrating up to 10.8% body weight reduction over 26 weeks compared to 3.0% with placebo. Monotherapy results at 68 weeks showed an average body weight reduction of 11.8% versus 3.0% for placebo, establishing clinical meaningfulness even before combination therapy was explored.

The most compelling data comes from the CagriSema combination program, pairing cagrilintide with the GLP-1 receptor agonist semaglutide. The REDEFINE 1 trial, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, showed a mean body weight reduction of 20.4% over 68 weeks for the combination group versus 3.0% for placebo. Sixty percent of participants achieved at least 20% weight loss, and 23% lost 30% or more of body weight. These results reflect an additive mechanism: cagrilintide acts on amylin receptors while semaglutide acts on GLP-1 receptors, producing complementary appetite suppression across different neural circuits.

Cagrilintide is not currently FDA-approved for any indication as of early 2026 and remains under investigation. Its use outside of clinical trials is considered off-label and investigational. All research and clinical interest is directed at understanding how amylin-pathway activation can complement existing GLP-1-based therapies for sustainable obesity management.