Educational reference only. Informational material drawn from peer-reviewed literature. Not medical advice and not a recommendation to use, dose, or modify any therapy. Decisions about hormone therapy should be made with a qualified healthcare provider.
Overview
Overview
Cagrilintide is a long-acting analog of amylin (islet amyloid polypeptide, IAPP), a 37-amino-acid hormone co-secreted with insulin after meals that slows gastric emptying, promotes satiety, and suppresses glucagon. Native amylin aggregates into fibrils and has a very short half-life, which is why the only previously approved amylin drug (pramlintide) required three injections daily. Cagrilintide (Novo Nordisk; code AM833 / NN9838) uses anti-aggregation substitutions plus a C20 fatty-diacid albumin-binding modification (the same engineering as semaglutide) to extend the half-life to ~7–8 days, enabling once-weekly subcutaneous dosing. It is most prominent as the amylin half of CagriSema (cagrilintide + semaglutide).
Forms
Available forms & half-lives
| Form | Approximate half-life |
|---|---|
| Subcutaneous injection | ~7–8 days (159–195 h) |
What it does
Main effects
- Appetite suppression / reduced food intake (amylin agonism)
- Slowed gastric emptying
- Glucagon suppression → steadier glucose
- Additive weight loss when stacked with a GLP-1 (CagriSema)
What to watch for
Common side effects
- Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation (GI; worst during titration)
- Reduced appetite (intended, occasionally excessive)
- Injection-site reactions
- Hypoglycemia: low as monotherapy, higher in combination
Key facts
Key facts worth knowing
- Phase 2 monotherapy (706 adults, 26 weeks) produced dose-dependent weight loss: 9.1% at 2.4 mg/week and 10.8% at 4.5 mg/week vs 3.0% on placebo. PMID: 34699735
- As CagriSema (with semaglutide 2.4 mg), Phase 3 REDEFINE 1 reported ~20–22% weight loss over 68 weeks, exceeding semaglutide alone. Novo Nordisk REDEFINE 1, Phase 3 (NCT05567796); topline results reported 2024–2025.
- Amylin and GLP-1 are parallel, complementary pathways: combining them produces additive rather than redundant weight loss, the core rationale for CagriSema. PMID: 34699735
Legal status
Legal status
Not FDA-approved as a standalone or as CagriSema (regulatory pathway ongoing as of 2026). Sold as a research peptide; not for human use per supplier labeling. Not currently on the WADA prohibited list (verify before competition).