Cagrilintide is a long-acting analog of amylin, a peptide hormone co-secreted with insulin from pancreatic beta cells. It slows gastric emptying, suppresses glucagon, and signals satiety to the hypothalamus.
Mechanism: Amylin receptor agonist with a ~7-day half-life enabling once-weekly subcutaneous dosing. Mechanistically distinct from GLP-1. They hit different satiety pathways.
Use case: Paired with a GLP-1 (semaglutide) under the development name CagriSema, the combination outperformed semaglutide alone for weight loss in Phase 2 trials. The two pathways stack additively.
Caveats: Not yet approved as monotherapy. Same nausea profile as other satiety drugs in the first few weeks. Phase 3 results are the milestone to watch.