At a glance
Effects
- Appetite suppression / satiety: Reduces food intake and increases fullness via amylin-receptor activation in the brainstem and hypothalamus [1][2].
- Slowed gastric emptying: Delays stomach emptying, contributing to satiety but also driving most GI side effects [1][8].
- Weight loss: Monotherapy produced ~10.8% weight loss over 26 weeks; REDEFINE 1 reported ~11.8% at 68 weeks vs 2.3% placebo [3][6].
- Greater loss in combination: With semaglutide (CagriSema), weight loss reached roughly 15-22% in trials, exceeding either agent alone [9][11].
Long-acting amylin (dual amylin/calcitonin) receptor agonist [3][5]
~7-8 days (~180 h) [4][8]
Subcutaneous, once weekly [4][9]
Investigational; not FDA-approved [3][6]
Gastrointestinal (nausea/vomiting) [10][12]
About Cagrilintide acetate
Every point here is drawn from public medical and harm-reduction sources. A bracketed number after a claim — like [1]— is a reference: tap it to open the exact source it's based on (numbered list at the bottom). It is not a rating or score. Educational information, not medical advice.
Product specifics
- Est. delivery
- 3–7 business days · EU tracked
Product details as stated by the vendor (claims, not independently verified). Delivery is our standard EU estimate.
What it is
Cagrilintide (cagrilintide acetate; codes AM833 / NN0174-0833) is a long-acting, lipidated analogue of the pancreatic hormone amylin, classed as an amylin (dual amylin/calcitonin) receptor agonist [3][5]. It is an investigational once-weekly injectable being developed by Novo Nordisk for chronic weight management and type 2 diabetes, primarily as the combination "CagriSema" with semaglutide; it is not FDA-approved [3][6][7].
How it works
Amylin is co-secreted with insulin from pancreatic beta cells and produces satiety by acting on the hypothalamus and hindbrain (area postrema/dorsal vagal complex) [1][2]. Cagrilintide mimics this hormone — activating amylin receptors to reduce food intake, slow gastric emptying, and suppress post-meal glucagon, which together lower appetite and body weight [1][2]. Structurally it carries amino-acid substitutions plus a C-20 fatty di-acid that binds serum albumin, extending its half-life to roughly one week so it can be dosed once weekly [4][9]. Because it works through the amylin pathway (separate from GLP-1), combining it with semaglutide produces additive appetite suppression [1][2].
Risks & side effects
Most important: The dominant, near-universal issue is gastrointestinal: in the CagriSema combination trial about 79.6% of participants had a GI adverse event (nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, or abdominal pain), though these were mainly transient and mild-to-moderate and concentrated during dose escalation [10][12]. As a class effect of amylin/gastric-emptying drugs, it should not be used in people with gastroparesis, and slow titration is essential to manage tolerability [13][12].
Common
- Nausea — the single most common effect; rates rose with dose (~20% at 0.3 mg up to ~47% at 4.5 mg vs ~18% placebo), mostly mild-to-moderate [9]
- Vomiting, diarrhea, constipation and abdominal pain, clustering during dose escalation [10][12]
- Decreased appetite, occasionally enough to cause inadequate intake or fatigue [8]
- Injection-site reactions (mild redness/irritation) [9][11]
Serious
Rare
- Anti-cagrilintide antibodies developed in roughly half of users, but trial data showed they did not appear to reduce weight-loss efficacy [4]
- No clinically relevant QTc prolongation found in a dedicated thorough-QT study at 4.5 mg [8]
- No level 2-3 hypoglycemia and no fatal adverse events were reported in the phase 2 dose-finding trial [10]
Safety & harm reduction
- Other GLP-1/incretin or appetite-suppressing agents (e.g. semaglutide) increase the overall GI side-effect burden [10][12]
- Drugs affecting gastric emptying or oral-drug absorption may interact via delayed gastric emptying (amylin-class effect) [13]
- Insulin/other glucose-lowering agents may raise hypoglycemia risk in diabetes (amylin-class consideration) [14]
Dosage context
Commonly-reported, NOT a prescription — and note cagrilintide is investigational, so no approved dosing exists. Phase 2/3 trials used slow once-weekly subcutaneous titration, typically starting around 0.25 mg/week and escalating every ~4 weeks (e.g. 0.5, 1.0, 1.7 mg) to a 2.4 mg/week maintenance dose over ~16 weeks; monotherapy studies explored up to 4.5 mg/week [9][12]. The CagriSema combination pairs cagrilintide 2.4 mg with semaglutide 2.4 mg, each as a separate weekly injection [12][13]. Gradual titration is repeatedly described as central to limiting nausea and other GI effects [12][14].
Sources
- 1.Superpower – Cagrilintide: A Long-Acting Amylin Analog
- 2.Cardiology in Review – Cagrilintide: A Long-Acting Amylin Analog
- 3.bioRxiv – DVC atlas of cagrilintide's effects on energy balance
- 4.J. Med. Chem. – Development of Cagrilintide, a Long-Acting Amylin Analogue
- 5.Wikipedia – Cagrilintide
- 6.Peptides.org – Cagrilintide Dosage Guideline
- 7.Peptides.org – Cagrilintide Side Effects, Complications, and Risk Profile
- 8.Diabetes Obesity & Metabolism – Cagrilintide thorough QT study (Gabe 2024)
- 9.SeekPeptides – Cagrilintide side effects: what trials show
- 10.NEJM – Coadministered Cagrilintide and Semaglutide (REDEFINE 1)
- 11.Peptide Database – Cagrilintide Overview, Dosing & Safety
- 12.RealPeptides – What Does Cagrilintide Actually Do? (Mechanism)
- 13.PeptideDeck – Cagrilintide: Benefits, Dosage & Side Effects
- 14.Pramlintide (amylin-class) – Drugs.com Monograph / ScienceDirect contraindications
- 15.Novo Nordisk clinical trial protocol NCT04982575 (cagrilintide + semaglutide)
This information is provided for educational and harm-reduction purposes only. It is not medical advice. These substances can carry serious health risks; effects and safe use vary by individual. Consult a qualified healthcare professional before use. Legal status varies by country — it is your responsibility to know your local law. We do not encourage misuse.