Cagrilintide: Status, Trials and Expected Price
Novo Nordisk is still testing cagrilintide, a newer weight loss drug, so no pharmacy can sell it at the moment.
CagriSema at a glance
Percent of body weight, weight loss at 68 weeks (REDEFINE 1, vs 3.0% placebo).
Sources: prnewswire.com.
The company is pairing it with semaglutide, the ingredient found in Wegovy and Ozempic, and offering the pair as one shot taken once a week under the name CagriSema.
CagriSema: the combined medicine
This product puts cagrilintide and semaglutide together in a single injection. Novo Nordisk describes it as the first weekly injection to pair a GLP-1 with an amylin medicine to help people manage their weight.
How the two ingredients work together
Each ingredient does its own job. Semaglutide belongs to the GLP-1 family, the same family as Wegovy. Cagrilintide is an amylin analogue, which simply means it mimics amylin, a hormone your body already produces on its own.
Results for cagrilintide and semaglutide in trials
The main trial, called REDEFINE 1, showed that people on CagriSema shed 20.4% of their starting body weight over 68 weeks. Those on a placebo lost 3.0%. A placebo is a treatment with no medicine in it, given so results can be compared fairly.
Some participants stopped treatment during the trial. If everyone had stuck with the treatment, the average loss came to 22.7%.
In a study of people who have type 2 diabetes, REIMAGINE 2 found 14.2% with CagriSema, while semaglutide on its own gave 10.2%. Both groups were tracked for 68 weeks.
The table lines CagriSema up with two weekly injections you can already buy. Each one was tested in its own trial with a different group of people, so the figures give only a rough guide rather than a direct comparison.
| Medicine | Trial | Weeks | Placebo group | Average weight loss |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CagriSema | REDEFINE 1 | 68 | 3.0% | 20.4% |
| Wegovy (semaglutide 2.4 mg) | STEP 1 | 68 | 2.4% | 14.9% |
| Zepbound (tirzepatide 15 mg) | SURMOUNT-1 | 72 | 3.1% | 20.9% |
Could CagriSema be approved soon?
Not yet. Novo Nordisk has submitted an application to the FDA asking for approval, and approval has not been granted. The FDA is the US agency that approves which medicines may be sold.
When might CagriSema reach the market?
A decision from the FDA is expected in 2026. So far no launch date has been given, and the medicine can only go on sale once the FDA says yes.
What will CagriSema cost?
The company has not said how much it will cost. While approval is still pending, there is also no news about insurance.
Questions people often ask
How does cagrilintide compare with semaglutide?
No cagrilintide-only results are listed here, so the two cannot be compared on their own. Everything published so far covers the two medicines taken together as one treatment.
Which conditions is cagrilintide being studied for?
It is under study for weight management as one half of CagriSema. Right now, it has not been approved for treating any condition.
Does cagrilintide really work?
So far the evidence comes from trials of the combined injection rather than cagrilintide by itself. Weight loss in those trials was far greater than in the placebo groups, though the FDA review is still under way.
Does cagrilintide belong to the GLP-1 family?
It does not. Cagrilintide mimics the hormone amylin. The GLP-1 part of CagriSema comes from semaglutide.