Cagrilintide
Cagrilintide (Long-acting Amylin Analog)
The amylin analog
A long-acting amylin receptor agonist from Novo Nordisk — the standalone amylin half of CagriSema. Amylin is a pancreatic hormone that slows gastric emptying, signals fullness, and helps restore leptin sensitivity. As monotherapy it produces meaningful weight loss in early trials; it's most interesting for people whose genetics point to leptin resistance rather than a pure incretin deficit. Investigational, not approved.
Key Benefits
Meaningful weight loss via the amylin pathway — separate from GLP-1/GIP
Restores leptin sensitivity in high-set-point physiology
Once-weekly dosing
Stacks additively with GLP-1 agonists (the CagriSema rationale)
Lower nausea profile than some incretins in early data
Mechanism of Action
How Cagrilintide works
Cagrilintide works on the amylin system — a different lever from the GLP-1/GIP incretins:
- Amylin receptor agonism — activates amylin receptors in the area postrema and hindbrain, slowing gastric emptying and producing a durable satiety signal
- Leptin re-sensitization — amylin agonism restores responsiveness to leptin, the hormone that tells the brain energy stores are full; this is blunted in leptin-resistant, high-set-point individuals
- Long half-life — engineered for once-weekly dosing, giving steady appetite suppression rather than peaks and troughs
- Complementary to GLP-1 — because it acts on a separate pathway, it stacks additively with semaglutide (the basis of CagriSema) rather than overlapping
Your Genetics & Cagrilintide
Genetic variants that affect your response
These SNPs determine how effectively Cagrilintide works for you specifically. A genetic peptide report identifies your variants before you start.
The Gln223Arg variant impairs leptin-receptor signaling. Because cagrilintide's mechanism is leptin re-sensitization, carriers of the impairing allele are precisely the population the drug is built for — a clearer genetic rationale than for a GLP-1 alone.
FTO risk alleles raise the defended weight set-point and hunger drive. A high set-point is the scenario where targeting amylin/leptin signaling is most relevant.
The calcitonin receptor forms the core of the amylin receptor complex. Variation in CALCR expression can influence receptor availability and therefore the magnitude of the amylin signal cagrilintide produces.
Which variants do you carry?
Upload your DNA data or order a kit to find out.
Evidence & Research
12+
Published studies
Animal studies and in vitro data with promising but limited clinical validation
Common Stacks
Cagrilintide is commonly combined with:
Frequently Asked Questions
What is cagrilintide used for?
Cagrilintide is an investigational long-acting amylin analog for weight management. It slows gastric emptying, increases satiety, and restores leptin sensitivity — making it especially relevant for people whose obesity is driven by a high genetic set-point and leptin resistance rather than a pure incretin problem.
How is it different from semaglutide or tirzepatide?
Those are incretins (GLP-1, and GLP-1/GIP). Cagrilintide works on the amylin system instead — a separate appetite pathway. That's why it's combined with semaglutide in CagriSema: the two mechanisms add up rather than overlap.
Is cagrilintide approved?
No. As of 2026 cagrilintide is investigational, studied within Novo Nordisk's amylin and REDEFINE programmes. It is not an available prescription on its own.
Learn More About Cagrilintide
Your next move
Two ways forward with Cagrilintide.
Not sure it's for you?
Will Cagrilintide work for your genes — and at what dose?
Your report scores Cagrilintide against your receptor, CYP and pathway variants — likely responder, non-responder, and a sensible starting dose — in minutes.
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