Is cagrilintide approved or available as a drug?

No. As of mid-2026 cagrilintide is not approved by the FDA, EMA, or any major regulator. It is an investigational compound in Phase 3 clinical trials. Material available outside clinical trials is unregulated research-grade material, not a pharmaceutical product. It is prohibited in competitive sport under WADA's S0 (non-approved substances) category.

What is cagrilintide's half-life and why is it dosed weekly?

Approximately 184 hours (~7.7 days) at the 2.4 mg dose, reached by attaching a fatty diacid chain that allows the peptide to bind reversibly to albumin in the bloodstream, greatly reducing its clearance. Native amylin lasts only ~15 minutes. This long half-life allows once-weekly subcutaneous injection.

How does cagrilintide work for weight loss?

It activates amylin receptors in the brain (particularly the area postrema), promoting satiety, reducing food intake, and slowing gastric emptying. It also suppresses post-prandial glucagon. These actions complement — rather than duplicate — the mechanisms of GLP-1 receptor agonists like semaglutide, which is why the CagriSema combination produces greater weight loss than either drug alone.

What weight loss has been shown in clinical trials?

In Phase 3 (REDEFINE 1), cagrilintide 2.4 mg alone produced approximately 11.8% weight loss at 68 weeks. Combined with semaglutide 2.4 mg (CagriSema), the result was approximately 22.7% (full-adherence estimand). In Phase 2, cagrilintide monotherapy at 4.5 mg produced ~10.8% weight loss at 26 weeks vs ~3% placebo. These are trial outcomes in defined populations using pharmaceutical-grade drug.

What are the main side effects?

Nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, and constipation are the most common, consistent with the gastric-emptying-slowing and central appetite-suppressing actions of amylin receptor agonism. These were mostly mild-to-moderate and occurred primarily during dose escalation in trials. Injection-site reactions are also reported. Long-term safety data are still being collected in Phase 3 follow-up.

Is this the same as pramlintide?

They share a related peptide backbone and both are amylin analogues, but cagrilintide is far more potent in duration. Pramlintide (Symlin) is an approved injectable amylin analogue with a ~50-minute half-life requiring two or three daily injections. Cagrilintide's fatty-acid modification extends its half-life to ~7.7 days, enabling once-weekly dosing and producing substantially greater weight loss in trials.

Is cagrilintide legal or available in the EU?

Cagrilintide is not authorised as a medicine by the European Medicines Agency (EMA); it is investigational and has no EU marketing authorisation. It is supplied strictly as a research chemical for laboratory use only, not for human consumption. Helica dispatches from within the EU. Being sold as a research chemical is distinct from being an approved medicine, and national rules on possession and import vary.

Metabolic

Cagrilintide

Also known as: AM833, Cagri, long-acting amylin analogue

A long-acting acylated amylin analogue under clinical development by Novo Nordisk, studied primarily in combination with semaglutide for obesity; research use only.

Reviewed by the Helica Labs research team · Last updated August 11, 2026

Reconstitute this peptide Buy Cagrilintide

Overview

Cagrilintide (AM833) is a synthetic, long-acting analogue of the pancreatic hormone amylin, engineered by Novo Nordisk to overcome native amylin's extremely short half-life (~15 minutes). It is a 37-amino-acid peptide derived from the pramlintide backbone and modified with a C20 fatty diacid chain attached via a γ-glutamic acid linker, enabling reversible albumin binding — the same acylation strategy used to extend semaglutide's duration of action. The result is an approximately weekly dosing profile, with a half-life around 184 hours (~7.7 days) at the 2.4 mg dose. Cagrilintide is not approved as a drug anywhere in the world as of mid-2026. Its development trajectory is focused almost entirely on obesity, and the most advanced programme pairs it with semaglutide 2.4 mg in a fixed-ratio co-formulation called CagriSema. Phase 3 REDEFINE trials are underway. Phase 2 data in people with type 2 diabetes (T2D) demonstrated ~10.8% weight loss at 4.5 mg vs 3.0% with placebo at 26 weeks. In REDEFINE 1 (Phase 3, adults without T2D), CagriSema produced approximately 22.7% weight loss at 68 weeks (full-adherence estimand), versus approximately 11.8% for cagrilintide monotherapy and 16.1% for semaglutide monotherapy — illustrating the additive or complementary effect of combining amylin and GLP-1 receptor agonism. Cagrilintide is not available as an approved pharmaceutical. Any material circulating in research or grey markets is unregulated, unsupported by validated human dosing protocols outside of the trial context, and subject to the same product quality risks as other research peptides. This entry is for research reference only and does not constitute medical advice.

How it works

Amylin is a 37-amino-acid peptide co-secreted with insulin by pancreatic beta-cells in response to meals. It acts primarily through amylin receptors (AMY1–3, heterodimers of the calcitonin receptor and receptor activity-modifying proteins RAMP1–3) in the area postrema and nucleus accumbens of the brain to promote satiety and reduce food intake. Native amylin also slows gastric emptying, suppresses post-prandial glucagon secretion, and modulates the dopaminergic reward circuitry involved in food motivation. Cagrilintide was designed to recapitulate these actions with sustained receptor engagement. Its fatty-diacid acylation confers reversible albumin binding that dramatically reduces renal clearance and peptidase degradation, extending the half-life from minutes (native amylin) to approximately seven days. In preclinical and clinical data, cagrilintide reduces caloric intake, lowers body weight through fat mass reduction, and suppresses glucagon — actions that are mechanistically complementary rather than redundant to GLP-1 receptor agonists such as semaglutide, which act through a distinct receptor system and have stronger effects on gastric emptying. This complementarity is the pharmacological rationale for the CagriSema combination. Human receptor-binding and signalling data are consistent with the proposed amylin-receptor mechanism, though the full characterisation of downstream neural pathways in humans remains an active area of research.

Researched effects

Clinical Significant body weight reduction in adults with overweight/obesity (CagriSema ~22.7% at 68 weeks, REDEFINE 1 full-adherence estimand)
Clinical Meaningful weight loss as monotherapy in Phase 2 trials (~10.8% at 26 weeks vs 3% placebo)
Clinical Additive weight reduction when combined with semaglutide compared to either agent alone
Clinical Post-prandial glucagon suppression
Preclinical Reduction in fat mass with preservation of lean mass in animal models
Preclinical Sustained satiety and reduced caloric intake through central amylin receptor engagement
Clinical Improved metabolic parameters (HbA1c, fasting glucose) in people with type 2 diabetes in Phase 2 trials

Evidence levels: Clinical (human trials) · Preclinical (animal/lab) · Anecdotal (community-reported).

Dosing reference

For research reference only — not a recommendation.

Clinical / studied dosing

Studied in clinical trials at weekly subcutaneous doses of 0.16 mg, 0.3 mg, 0.6 mg, 1.2 mg, 2.4 mg, and 4.5 mg, with dose escalation schedules. Phase 3 CagriSema trials pair cagrilintide 2.4 mg with semaglutide 2.4 mg in a once-weekly fixed-ratio injection. These doses are investigational; cagrilintide has no approved therapeutic dosing.

Community-reported dosing (anecdotal)

Anecdotal and research-reference only; not medical advice. Because cagrilintide is not an approved drug and lacks a validated human dosing protocol outside of the clinical trial context, no community consensus protocol has emerged. The limited anecdotal discussion in research peptide communities typically references the trial doses (0.6–2.4 mg SC weekly) as a reference frame, often with slow titration to mitigate GI side effects. These are trial doses extrapolated without clinical justification and should not be interpreted as recommended or safe protocols for self-experimentation.

Half-life: Approximately 184 ± 7.4 hours (~7.7 days) at the 2.4 mg dose in human pharmacokinetic studies; range across doses approximately 159–195 hours. Time to maximum concentration (Tmax) is approximately 24 hours after subcutaneous injection. Steady-state is reached after approximately 4–5 weekly doses. This is markedly longer than native amylin (~15 minutes) or pramlintide (~50 minutes), attributable to albumin-binding via the fatty-diacid acylation.
Routes: subcutaneous

Safety & side effects

In Phase 1 and Phase 2 clinical trials, the most common adverse events were gastrointestinal: nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, and constipation, consistent with the amylin mechanism of gastric-emptying slowing. These were typically mild-to-moderate and occurred most frequently during dose escalation. No serious unexpected safety signals have been publicly reported through Phase 2 data, though Phase 3 follow-up is ongoing. Theoretical and class-related risks include: injection-site reactions, hypoglycaemia when combined with insulin or sulfonylureas (amylin receptor agonism suppresses glucagon counter-regulation), and the potential for prolonged nausea or vomiting in sensitive individuals. Long-term safety data beyond 68 weeks of Phase 3 exposure are not yet available. As with all novel investigational compounds, the full safety and tolerability profile will not be established until Phase 3 data are complete and regulatory review is conducted. Cagrilintide is not an approved drug. Material sold outside of trials is unregulated and not subject to pharmaceutical quality controls. It is not permitted in competitive sport under WADA's S0 category (non-approved substances). This information is for research reference only.

Research summary

Cagrilintide has a more robust and recent human evidence base than most research peptides, by virtue of being a Novo Nordisk clinical asset with multiple completed and ongoing trials. Phase 1 work (including NCT03600480, published by Enebo et al. in The Lancet, 2021) established safety, tolerability, and the weekly dosing profile. Phase 2 monotherapy and combination data confirmed clinically meaningful weight loss, with the CagriSema combination consistently outperforming each agent alone — the combination effect appears additive, supporting the mechanistic rationale of targeting complementary appetite-regulatory pathways (amylin vs. GLP-1). The Phase 3 REDEFINE programme is the current frontier. REDEFINE 1 (adults with obesity, no T2D) reported ~22.7% weight loss with CagriSema at 68 weeks using the full-adherence estimand (treatment-policy estimand: ~20.4%), against ~11.8% for cagrilintide alone and ~16.1% for semaglutide alone. These figures position CagriSema as potentially superior to existing approved anti-obesity agents, though regulatory approval has not yet been granted. The evidence base is strong by research-peptide standards but should be contextualised: cagrilintide data come from industry-sponsored trials in defined patient populations using pharmaceutical-grade material under controlled conditions. These conditions cannot be replicated in unregulated self-experimentation. The question of whether long-term weight loss is sustained, and the long-term safety profile, remain to be fully established.

FAQ

Is cagrilintide approved or available as a drug?: No. As of mid-2026 cagrilintide is not approved by the FDA, EMA, or any major regulator. It is an investigational compound in Phase 3 clinical trials. Material available outside clinical trials is unregulated research-grade material, not a pharmaceutical product. It is prohibited in competitive sport under WADA's S0 (non-approved substances) category.
What is cagrilintide's half-life and why is it dosed weekly?: Approximately 184 hours (~7.7 days) at the 2.4 mg dose, reached by attaching a fatty diacid chain that allows the peptide to bind reversibly to albumin in the bloodstream, greatly reducing its clearance. Native amylin lasts only ~15 minutes. This long half-life allows once-weekly subcutaneous injection.
How does cagrilintide work for weight loss?: It activates amylin receptors in the brain (particularly the area postrema), promoting satiety, reducing food intake, and slowing gastric emptying. It also suppresses post-prandial glucagon. These actions complement — rather than duplicate — the mechanisms of GLP-1 receptor agonists like semaglutide, which is why the CagriSema combination produces greater weight loss than either drug alone.
What weight loss has been shown in clinical trials?: In Phase 3 (REDEFINE 1), cagrilintide 2.4 mg alone produced approximately 11.8% weight loss at 68 weeks. Combined with semaglutide 2.4 mg (CagriSema), the result was approximately 22.7% (full-adherence estimand). In Phase 2, cagrilintide monotherapy at 4.5 mg produced ~10.8% weight loss at 26 weeks vs ~3% placebo. These are trial outcomes in defined populations using pharmaceutical-grade drug.
What are the main side effects?: Nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, and constipation are the most common, consistent with the gastric-emptying-slowing and central appetite-suppressing actions of amylin receptor agonism. These were mostly mild-to-moderate and occurred primarily during dose escalation in trials. Injection-site reactions are also reported. Long-term safety data are still being collected in Phase 3 follow-up.
Is this the same as pramlintide?: They share a related peptide backbone and both are amylin analogues, but cagrilintide is far more potent in duration. Pramlintide (Symlin) is an approved injectable amylin analogue with a ~50-minute half-life requiring two or three daily injections. Cagrilintide's fatty-acid modification extends its half-life to ~7.7 days, enabling once-weekly dosing and producing substantially greater weight loss in trials.
Is cagrilintide legal or available in the EU?: Cagrilintide is not authorised as a medicine by the European Medicines Agency (EMA); it is investigational and has no EU marketing authorisation. It is supplied strictly as a research chemical for laboratory use only, not for human consumption. Helica dispatches from within the EU. Being sold as a research chemical is distinct from being an approved medicine, and national rules on possession and import vary.

References

All content is for research and educational use only and is not medical advice. Products are sold for laboratory research only and are not for human consumption.