Cagrilintide

Key points

• Cagrilintide is a long acting amylin analogue, a different hormone pathway from the GLP-1 medicines.
• It is studied mainly alongside semaglutide, as a combination known as CagriSema.
• It is in phase 3 trials, the large studies a licence depends on, and is not approved anywhere.
• In the UK it would only be available within a clinical trial.

Quick facts

What it is

Experimental amylin analogue

Studied for

Weight loss and obesity (often as CagriSema)

Stage

Phase 3 trials underway; not licensed anywhere

UK status

Investigational; available only in clinical trials

How it works

Amylin is released with insulin after a meal. It helps you feel full and slows how quickly the stomach empties. Cagrilintide is designed to copy that signal in a long acting form. The interest is in pairing it with a GLP-1 medicine such as semaglutide, so two complementary fullness pathways are engaged at once.

What the evidence shows

The headline results are for the combination with semaglutide, where trials have reported large average weight loss over about a year, in the region of the best results seen for this class. What is harder to read from those studies is how much cagrilintide adds on its own, since it is mostly tested in combination. The full phase 3 picture, and the regulatory decisions, are still to come.

What it does not settle

• There is limited evidence for cagrilintide on its own, as opposed to the combination.
• Long term safety, and whether weight is regained after stopping, are not yet known.
• It is not yet approved, so the regulatory timeline is uncertain.

Side effects

Common

• As with other medicines that act on gut hormones, stomach effects such as nausea are expected, especially while the dose is raised.

Less common but serious

• Because it is investigational, its full safety profile is still being established in trials.
• Products sold online as cagrilintide are unlicensed, and their dose and contents cannot be verified.

Report any suspected side effect through the MHRA Yellow Card scheme.

UK legal status and access

Cagrilintide has no marketing authorisation, so it is not prescribed by registered clinics or pharmacies. In the UK the only route is a clinical trial. Products sold online are unlicensed and have not been through the checks that apply to a licensed medicine.

Common questions