Cagrilintide

Cagrilintide is a long-acting copy of amylin, a hormone the pancreas releases alongside insulin after meals. It's a different appetite lever than the GLP-1 family — it works through amylin and calcitonin receptors rather than the incretin system.

Through those receptors it promotes fullness (acting partly on the brainstem's area postrema and on reward circuits), slows gastric emptying, and helps suppress glucagon. Because this is a separate pathway from incretins, it can be stacked with a GLP-1 drug for additive effect — which is exactly why it's being co-developed with semaglutide as 'CagriSema.'

It's engineered with a lipid modification for once-weekly dosing and remains investigational, with the main human data from dose-finding phase 2 trials. Its emerging role looks less like a standalone blockbuster and more like a complementary partner to incretin therapy.