Cagrilintide for Weight Loss: What the Evidence Shows
What human and animal studies show about Cagrilintide for weight loss, how strong that evidence is, and what is still unproven.
- Strongest evidence
- Human RCT
- Human studies
- 2
- with an outcome for weight loss, in our evidence file (PubMed search, 2 Oct 2026)
- Animal studies
- 1
- with an outcome for weight loss, in our evidence file (PubMed search, 2 Oct 2026)
- Studies we summarised
- 4
- with an outcome for weight loss
Evidence for weight loss
Each row is an outcome related to weight loss from a published study, strongest design first. Animal and cell results are labelled and are not human results. User reports are not counted as evidence here.
| Outcome | Result | Study type | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Body weight at week 26 vs placebo | Weight reductions were 6·0%-10·8% across cagrilintide doses 0·3-4·5 mg versus 3·0% with placebo (trial product estimand). | Human RCT | Lancet 2021, PMID 34798060 |
| Cagrilintide 4.5 mg vs liraglutide 3.0 mg | Cagrilintide 4·5 mg gave a 10·8% weight reduction versus 9·0% with liraglutide 3·0 mg. | Human RCT | Lancet 2021, PMID 34798060 |
| Body weight at week 20 (with semaglutide 2.4 mg) | Combined with semaglutide, body weight fell by 15·7% (cagrilintide 1·2 mg) and 17·1% (2·4 mg) versus 9·8% with pooled placebo at week 20. | Human RCTn = 96 | Lancet 2021, PMID 33894838 |
| Body weight with cagrilintide monotherapy | Cagrilintide monotherapy reduced body weight by a mean difference of -6.08% (-5.89 kg) and also reduced blood pressure, without meaningful HbA1c improvement. | Meta-analysisn = 5425 | Annals of medicine and surgery 2026, PMID 42583410 |
| Body weight in diet-induced obese mice | Wild-type cagrilintide-treated mice lost -3.4 g of body weight. | Animal · mouse (not a human result) | EBioMedicine 2025, PMID 40609154 |
| Receptor dependence | Cagrilintide's weight-lowering effect depended on the amylin receptors AMY1R and AMY3R in mice. | Animal · mouse (not a human result) | EBioMedicine 2025, PMID 40609154 |
Cagrilintide and weight loss are not in our PubMed count ledger yet; the rows above come from our evidence file (PubMed search, 2 Oct 2026). Grades follow our evidence scale.
How strong is it?
A human randomized trial outweighs any number of animal studies. Animal and cell results show a mechanism worth testing, not that it works in people.
Other peptides people research for weight loss
All peptides for weight loss, comparedCommon questions
Does Cagrilintide help with weight loss?
The strongest study we summarise for weight loss is human rct evidence, across 4 studies with an outcome for weight loss. A trial result is not an approval; see the legal status.
Is Cagrilintide approved for weight loss?
No. Cagrilintide is not FDA approved for any use, including weight loss.
What is the best peptide for weight loss?
There is no single answer. Our weight loss overview compares each candidate by evidence grade and legal status rather than by popularity.
More on Cagrilintide
Sources
- 1Once-weekly cagrilintide for weight management in people with overweight and obesity: a multicentre, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled and active-controlled, dose-finding phase 2 trial.Lancet (London, England) · 2021PMID 34798060Accessed 2 Oct 2026
- 2Safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacodynamics of concomitant administration of multiple doses of cagrilintide with semaglutide 2·4 mg for weight management: a randomised, controlled, phase 1b trial.Lancet (London, England) · 2021PMID 33894838Accessed 2 Oct 2026
- 3Amylin-based obesity therapy: a meta-analysis of Cagrilintide and CagriSema versus placebo.Annals of medicine and surgery (2012) · 2026PMID 42583410Accessed 2 Oct 2026
- 4Cagrilintide lowers bodyweight through brain amylin receptors 1 and 3.EBioMedicine · 2025PMID 40609154Accessed 2 Oct 2026
Found an error? Report a correction.