Original Cagrilintide: Discovery & Research History
Cagrilintide (Amylin Receptor Agonist) — how it was originally developed, and what it has been studied for since.
How Cagrilintide Was Discovered
Cagrilintide (sometimes misspelled cagrilinitide) was developed by Novo Nordisk as a long-acting analog of amylin, a hormone co-secreted with insulin by pancreatic beta cells. Rather than starting from scratch, Novo Nordisk applied the same fatty-acid acylation technology used to extend semaglutide's half-life, engineering cagrilintide for once-weekly subcutaneous dosing.
Amylin acts on amylin receptors in the area postrema of the brainstem — a mechanism distinct from the GLP-1 receptor agonism used by semaglutide and other incretin-based compounds. Because amylin and GLP-1 signal through separate receptor systems, Novo Nordisk began studying the two together for potential additive effects on appetite and food intake, eventually formalizing the combination as CagriSema.
What Cagrilintide Has Been Studied For
As monotherapy, a Phase 2 dose-finding trial found the highest dose produced a mean weight reduction of 10.8% over 26 weeks. Combined with semaglutide as CagriSema, the Phase 3 REDEFINE program has reported considerably larger effects, with participants losing an average of approximately 23% of body weight under the trial's treatment-policy estimand.
- Amylin-receptor agonism research
- Appetite-regulation studies
- Combination research with GLP-1 receptor agonists
Read our Weight Loss & Metabolic research overview →
Cagrilintide discovery & history questions
Does Cagrilintide's research history mean it's approved for a particular use?
No. This page describes how Cagrilintide was originally developed and what it has been studied for since — it is historical and educational context, not a claim about current regulatory approval, safety, or legal status anywhere. Any Cagrilintide sourced through KYIN Peptides is for laboratory research use only.
What has Cagrilintide been studied for in research?
Cagrilintide is studied for amylin-receptor agonism in weight-management research, both alone and combined with semaglutide as CagriSema.
Interested in sourcing Cagrilintide?
Not part of our standard catalogue, but available to order — contact us and we'll help you source it.