What is cagrilintide and how does it work for weight loss?

Cagrilintide is a once-weekly injectable amylin analog developed by Novo Nordisk for obesity treatment. Amylin is a hormone co-secreted with insulin that regulates satiety and slows gastric emptying by acting on receptors in the brainstem. In the REDEFINE 1 phase 3 trial (2024), cagrilintide monotherapy achieved 11.8% average weight loss over 68 weeks, while the combination with semaglutide (CagriSema) produced 20.4% weight loss with 60% of participants losing at least 20% body weight. Novo Nordisk submitted CagriSema for FDA approval in December 2025.