Cagrilintide (development code AM833) is a long-acting amylin analogue, a peptide hormone that pancreatic beta cells release alongside insulin. It was engineered for once-weekly subcutaneous dosing and is being studied in two formats: on its own and as a fixed combination with semaglutide, known as CagriSema. This article is a research-use science overview of what cagrilintide is, how it works, and what the published clinical trials showed about it and about the CagriSema regimen. For the full scientific background on the molecule, see our cagrilintide monograph. This material is for research and reference only and is not medical advice.
What cagrilintide is and why it is dosed weekly
Amylin works together with insulin and takes part in regulating satiety. Its main target is the area postrema, a brainstem region outside the blood-brain barrier; from there the signal reaches appetite centres and produces a feeling of fullness. Beyond this central action, amylin slows gastric emptying and suppresses postprandial glucagon secretion [6]. Mechanistically this complements rather than duplicates GLP-1 receptor agonists, which is exactly why pairing an amylin arm with a GLP-1 arm is of such interest.
Native amylin is short-acting and prone to aggregation, so the molecule had to be re-engineered for a durable effect. In cagrilintide a lipid «anchor», an attached fatty-acid chain, is key: it enables reversible binding to serum albumin. That complex acts as a circulating depot, protecting the peptide from rapid renal filtration and proteolysis and extending the half-life to roughly 7–8 days, the molecular basis for weekly dosing [5]. This is why cagrilintide doses are quoted as milligrams per weekly injection rather than as a daily dose.
What the clinical trials showed
The key data came from a randomised, double-blind phase 2 dose-finding trial: 706 adults with overweight or obesity (without diabetes) received cagrilintide subcutaneously once weekly, placebo, or liraglutide as an active comparator over 26 weeks [1]. Weight loss was dose-dependent: the higher the weekly dose, the greater the loss. At the top studied dose it reached about −10.8% versus roughly −3.0% on placebo, while liraglutide gave about −9.0% [1]. These are phase 2 data that need confirmation in larger trials. We deliberately leave the specific doses, the titration step, and the weekly schedule out of this article as instruction: the full dosing protocol from the clinical studies is collected in the reference Cagrilintide: dosing schedule.
CagriSema: cagrilintide with semaglutide
The central development strategy for cagrilintide was to pair it with the GLP-1 receptor agonist semaglutide. Preclinical data suggested the amylin and GLP-1 arms act on body weight additively or synergistically, which provided the rationale for dual therapy [6]. Testing began with a phase 1b trial: it assessed co-administration of ascending cagrilintide doses with semaglutide and found no clinically relevant pharmacokinetic interaction between the peptides. The combination produced greater weight loss, on the order of 17% over 20 weeks at the top dose level, versus about 10% on semaglutide alone [2]. These phase 1b results opened the door to further study of the combination.
CagriSema in type 2 diabetes
In a phase 2 trial in adults with type 2 diabetes, CagriSema (a fixed combination of cagrilintide and semaglutide) was compared with monotherapy with each component over 32 weeks. The combination produced the largest weight loss, about −15.6%, and a marked improvement in glycaemic control, lowering HbA1c by roughly 2.2 percentage points [3]. Adding the amylin arm to semaglutide thus strengthened the effect on both body weight and glycaemia compared with either component alone. These figures come from a controlled trial with gradual titration and are reported as trial results, not as a usage recommendation.
Phase 3: the REDEFINE programme
The combination continues to be studied in a large phase 3 programme (the REDEFINE series). In the published phase 3a REDEFINE 5 trial, co-administered cagrilintide and semaglutide were compared with semaglutide alone in adults with overweight or obesity, with or without type 2 diabetes; the combination produced greater weight loss than semaglutide alone [4]. This confirms, at the phase 3 level, the direction set by the earlier trials.
Tolerability and side effects in the trials
Across all of these trials, the most common adverse events were gastrointestinal, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, constipation. They were mostly mild or moderate and dose-dependent: more frequent at higher doses and with faster titration [1][2][3]. That is precisely why every programme used stepwise dose escalation, to let the body adapt. These data describe observations in controlled clinical trials and are not a usage instruction.
What to keep in mind about the dosing data
The doses and results above come from clinical trials in humans under medical supervision, with careful titration and monitoring. Most of the monotherapy data are phase 2, a relatively early stage, while the larger, longer phase 3 trials focus mainly on the CagriSema combination. None of these figures is a «default» dose, and none can be transferred outside the research context. Products in our catalogue are strictly for laboratory research, not for human use.
Format and laboratory handling
In our catalogue, cagrilintide is supplied as a lyophilised powder in a vial (10 mg), with ≥98–99% purity by HPLC (high-performance liquid chromatography, a purity-testing method) and a research-use-only (RUO) label. Before use in laboratory models, the powder is reconstituted in a sterile diluent; the final concentration is calculated from the peptide mass in the vial and the diluent volume. Store the powder in a dry, light-protected place at low temperature, and keep the reconstituted solution under standard cold-storage conditions. The full scientific description of the molecule, its structure and pharmacology is in the monograph.
Disclaimer (research use only)
This article is compiled from publicly available sources (peer-reviewed publications and clinical-trial reports) and is provided for reference and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice or a usage recommendation. Cagrilintide is an experimental compound that is not an approved medicinal product. Any products mentioned on this site are supplied strictly for laboratory research purposes and are not intended for human consumption or for diagnostic or therapeutic use. All doses and results described above were obtained under controlled trial conditions and must not be interpreted as instructions.
The full list of sources with links, is in the monograph: Cagrilintide.
