Claimed effect · Cagrilintide

Does Cagrilintide help with body weight?

B
Grade B — probable, not settled1 large phase 3 RCT · effect size: large
Short answerProbable, not settled. Human data exist (1 large phase 3 RCT) and mostly agree, showing a large effect — but too few, too small, or not yet peer-reviewed for a firm answer. REDEFINE 1: −22.7% at 68 weeks in 3,417 adults vs −16.1% semaglutide alone, −11.8% cagrilintide alone, −2.3% placebo (trial-product estimand, i.e. while on treatment). The abstract's intention-to-treat figure is −20.4% vs −3.0%. 40.4% lost at least a quarter of body weight. The combination has its own page.

What the studies show

REDEFINE 1: −22.7% at 68 weeks in 3,417 adults vs −16.1% semaglutide alone, −11.8% cagrilintide alone, −2.3% placebo (trial-product estimand, i.e. while on treatment). The abstract's intention-to-treat figure is −20.4% vs −3.0%. 40.4% lost at least a quarter of body weight. The combination has its own page.

“The estimated mean percent change in body weight from baseline to week 68 was -20.4% with cagrilintide-semaglutide as compared with -3.0% with placebo (estimated difference, -17.3 percentage points; 95% confidence interval, -18.1 to -16.6; P<0.001).”

Verbatim, from the abstractCoadministered cagrilintide and semaglutide in adults with overweight or obesity (REDEFINE 1). N Engl J Med, 2025; DOI 10.1056/NEJMoa2502081

Human trials exist and mostly agree, but there are too few of them, they are too small, or one big one is still reading out. Expect the grade to move.

  1. 1
    Coadministered cagrilintide and semaglutide in adults with overweight or obesity (REDEFINE 1).N Engl J Med, 2025; DOI 10.1056/NEJMoa25020813,417 adults, 68 weeks, four arms.

In context

Cagrilintide is a once-weekly analogue of amylin, a hormone the pancreas releases alongside insulin that signals fullness. On its own it produced about 12% weight loss over 68 weeks; combined with semaglutide as CagriSema it produced 22.7% in a 3,417-person phase 3 trial published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Neither is approved yet, and the combination missed the 25% figure its developer had signalled.

Cagrilintide is investigational. Legal status differs by country — see the regulation section or the jurisdiction pages.

Questions

Is Cagrilintide proven to help with body weight?
Not yet settled. 1 large phase 3 RCT — LYO grades it B, meaning probable but liable to change as trials read out.
What studies are behind the grade?
REDEFINE 1: −22.7% at 68 weeks in 3,417 adults vs −16.1% semaglutide alone, −11.8% cagrilintide alone, −2.3% placebo (trial-product estimand, i.e. while on treatment). The abstract's intention-to-treat figure is −20.4% vs −3.0%. 40.4% lost at least a quarter of body weight. The combination has its own page.
Is Cagrilintide approved for this?
No. Cagrilintide is investigational; it is not an approved medicine for any indication in the jurisdictions LYO covers.

Other outcomes for Cagrilintide

Written and maintained by LYO Research — how pages are written and checked. Reviewed 2 September 2026. Grades count human evidence only; see how LYO grades. Not medical advice. Correct this page →