Description
What is Cagrilintide?
Cagrilintide is a long-acting synthetic amylin analog engineered for once-weekly subcutaneous administration. Amylin, a peptide co-secreted with insulin by pancreatic β-cells, is involved in postprandial satiety, gastric emptying, and glucagon suppression. Cagrilintide has been studied primarily in combination with semaglutide (“CagriSema”) in Phase 2 human clinical trials for obesity and type 2 diabetes.
Mechanism of Action
- Agonism at the amylin and calcitonin receptor family (CTR, AMY1, AMY2, AMY3)
- Delayed gastric emptying and reduced glucagon secretion
- Central satiety signaling via area postrema and hypothalamic pathways
Compound Properties
- Peptide class: Long-acting amylin analog
- Form: Lyophilized powder
- Unit sizes: 5 mg and 10 mg vials
- CAS number: 1415456-99-3
- Source reference: peer-reviewed Phase 2 clinical publications (2021–2023)
Research-Reference Dosing
Dosing from published Phase 2 clinical trials. Provided for research reference only.
- Monotherapy Phase 2 (obesity): 0.3 mg to 4.5 mg subcutaneous once weekly after titration (Lau et al., Lancet 2021)
- CagriSema (combined with 2.4 mg semaglutide): 2.4 mg cagrilintide once weekly in T2D and obesity Phase 2 trials (Frías et al., Lancet 2023)
- Typical titration: 0.16 mg → 0.3 mg → 0.6 mg → 1.2 mg → 2.4 mg at ~4-week intervals as tolerated
Research Findings (Published Human Data)
- Monotherapy Phase 2 (26 wks): ~10.8% body-weight reduction at 4.5 mg dose
- CagriSema Phase 2 (T2D, 32 wks): 15.6% body-weight reduction and ~2.2% HbA1c reduction
- Improvements in fasting glucose, waist circumference, and lipid metrics
- Phase 3 trials (REDEFINE program) ongoing at time of most recent reporting
Known Side Effects Reported in Trials
- Most common: nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, decreased appetite
- Less common: injection-site reactions, dyspepsia, fatigue
- Serious/rare: long-term safety data limited given investigational status
Storage & Handling
Store lyophilized vial at 2–8°C, protected from light. After reconstitution, refrigerate and use within the literature-described stability window. Do not freeze reconstituted solution.
Certificate of Analysis
A product-specific Certificate of Analysis (CoA) is available upon request for every lot.
