Latest studies
Every paper our editors flag with a plain-language note and an evidence rating. Filter by evidence, species, or design to find what actually applies to you.
- Study · CagrilintideMixed
Amylin and the renin-angiotensin system: risk or opportunity in amylin-based therapy?
A hypothesis and research-agenda paper focused on amylin receptor agonists, with cagrilintide (including the CagriSema combination) as a central example. It proposes mechanisms linking amylin therapy to the renin-angiotensin system but presents no new experimental data, instead outlining studies to test its ideas. It is a forward-looking mechanistic commentary rather than an evidence report, though cagrilintide is genuinely central to the discussion.
Lancet (London, England)n=——Dec 20, 2026 - Study · CagrilintideSupported
Co-agonism of GLP-1R and CTR/AMYR in the lateral dorsal tegmental nucleus produces additive effects on homeostatic and motivated feeding.
Careful mechanistic work using direct intra-brain drug delivery in rodents — a level of anatomical precision human studies cannot reach, but also a route of administration with no clinical parallel. It supplies a plausible neural substrate for why cagrilintide-semaglutide co-agonism outperforms monotherapy without saying anything about systemic dosing in people. Solid basic science from an established feeding-neuroscience group, appropriately framed by its authors.
Physiology & behaviorn=—AnimalNov 1, 2026 - Study · CagrilintideSupported
Maximizing weight loss with cagrisema: a systematic review and GRADE-assessed meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.
This is the strongest available synthesis on the amylin-plus-incretin combination, and it uses RoB 2 and GRADE rather than pooling uncritically. The head-to-head comparisons against both monotherapies are the load-bearing part: the additive effect is large and consistent across trials, while glycaemic outcomes were heterogeneous. Durability past the trial windows and long-term tolerability remain open, and the authors say so.
Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's archives of pharmacologyn=—HumanAug 17, 2026 - Study · CagrilintideMixed
Beyond GLP-1: Amylin-Based Pharmacotherapy and the Search for Better-Tolerated Weight-Loss Drugs.
A substantive mechanistic review of the amylin class at a moment when cagrilintide — as half of CagriSema — is nearing the market and several rivals are in mid-stage trials. The satiation-versus-aversion framing around calcitonin receptor engagement is the most useful contribution, offering a testable explanation for why tolerability differs across agents. As a narrative review it presents no new data, but it maps the competitive and pharmacological landscape our readers are already asking about. Good background for coverage of the amylin pipeline.
Pharmacological researchn=——Aug 12, 2026 - Study · CagrilintideSupported
Cagrilintide-semaglutide (CagriSema) versus semaglutide or cagrilintide in people with type 2 diabetes (REIMAGINE 2): a double-blind, randomised, controlled, phase 3 study.
This large active-controlled phase 3 RCT directly compared cagrilintide-semaglutide against semaglutide monotherapy, giving a clean read on semaglutide as a comparator arm. The combination was statistically superior for HbA1c, though the absolute difference of 0.16 percentage points is small. Novo Nordisk-funded; the semaglutide 2.4 mg arm itself performed strongly, which is directly relevant.
The lancet. Diabetes & endocrinologyn=—HumanAug 1, 2026 - Study · CagrilintideSupported
Efficacy of CagriSema for Reaching Anthropometric Treatment Targets and Cardiometabolic Outcomes: A Secondary, Post hoc Analysis of REDEFINE 1.
A secondary, post hoc analysis of the phase 3a REDEFINE 1 trial examining anthropometric target attainment across CagriSema, its individual components, and placebo. As a post hoc analysis of a secondary endpoint, it is hypothesis-generating rather than confirmatory, but the underlying randomization and clear dose-ordered separation lend weight to the signal. Readers can read the results as support for target-based obesity management and for the combination's added anthropometric effect over its components.
Diabetes, obesity & metabolismn=—HumanJul 26, 2026 - Study · CagrilintideSupported
Cagrilintide-semaglutide (CagriSema) as an add-on to basal insulin in adults with type 2 diabetes (REIMAGINE 3): a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicentre, phase 3 study.
REIMAGINE 3 is a double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase 3a trial (274 adults, six countries) testing once-weekly cagrilintide-semaglutide (CagriSema) added to basal insulin in type 2 diabetes. Researchers reported HbA1c reductions of -2.33% (2.4 mg each) and -2.10% (1.0 mg each) versus -0.66% for placebo, meeting the primary endpoint, alongside 10-12% bodyweight reductions and no additional hypoglycaemia; adverse events were mostly mild-to-moderate gastrointestinal, and one unrelated death (malignancy) occurred. Note this is a combination of cagrilintide with semaglutide, not semaglutide alone, so the effect cannot be attributed to semaglutide by itself. The design is strong (randomised, masked, active insulin background), and the result is clear and clinically meaningful over 40 weeks. Longer-term durability and the semaglutide-versus-combination contribution remain open questions. Sponsor: Novo Nordisk.
Lancet (London, England)n=—HumanJul 4, 2026 - Study · CagrilintideSupported
Renal or Hepatic Impairment Does Not Affect Pharmacokinetics, Safety, or Tolerability of Subcutaneous Cagrilintide.
These two controlled clinical pharmacology studies assessed cagrilintide exposure in participants with varying renal and hepatic function and found no clinically relevant differences versus normal function. The authors note the small sample sizes as a limitation. The data are directly relevant to safe dosing of the peptide in special populations and were well tolerated.
Clinical pharmacokineticsn=—HumanJul 1, 2026 - Study · CagrilintideSupported
Comparative Effectiveness of CagriSegma, Semaglutide, Cagrilintide and Tirzepatide in the Management of Overweight and Obesity: A Network Meta-Analysis of Randomized Clinical Trials.
A network meta-analysis pooling 25 randomized trials and 12 interventions to compare advanced anti-obesity agents. Tirzepatide 15 mg produced the greatest percent weight reduction (mean difference -17.97%), with CagriSema close behind (-17.84%) and semaglutide 7.2 mg at -14.66%; at the >=20% weight-loss threshold CagriSema and tirzepatide 15 mg led. Gastrointestinal adverse events rose with all treatments, while serious adverse events were comparable to placebo. As a meta-analysis of RCTs this sits near the top of the evidence hierarchy, and the ranking of tirzepatide and semaglutide is consistent with the broader trial record. The main caveats are inherent to network meta-analysis: it mixes indirect comparisons across trials with differing populations and durations, so the precise numeric ordering (especially tirzepatide vs CagriSema) carries uncertainty. The authors note no direct head-to-head data exist and call for them. Strong, well-grounded synthesis.
Endocrinology, diabetes & metabolismn=—HumanJul 1, 2026 - Study · CagrilintideSupported
Efficacy and Safety of Cagrilintide and Cagrisema Versus Semaglutide as Anti-Obesity Medications: A Systematic Review, Meta-Analysis and Meta-Regression.
This systematic review, meta-analysis and meta-regression pools three RCTs comparing CagriSema and cagrilintide monotherapy against semaglutide. CagriSema was associated with significantly greater weight loss, while cagrilintide alone matched semaglutide but carried a higher relative risk of serious adverse events and combination therapy increased injection-site reactions and nausea. As a synthesis of randomized data on tracked peptides it is strong evidence, with both benefits and safety signals reported as associations.
Diabetes, obesity & metabolismn=—HumanJun 1, 2026 - Study · CagrilintideSupported
Efficacy and safety of co-administered cagrilintide and semaglutide versus semaglutide alone in adults with overweight or obesity with or without type 2 diabetes in Japan and Taiwan (REDEFINE 5): a multicentre, randomised, active-controlled, phase 3a trial.
This is a well-powered phase 3a randomized active-controlled trial (REDEFINE 5) comparing fixed-dose cagrilintide-semaglutide against semaglutide alone in an east Asian population. The combination was associated with significantly greater weight loss at 68 weeks, with a comparable and predominantly gastrointestinal adverse-event profile. As a rigorous head-to-head RCT on two tracked peptides it is high-value evidence, reported as association.
The lancet. Diabetes & endocrinologyn=—HumanJun 1, 2026 - Study · CagrilintideSupported
Cagrilintide and CagriSema for weight reduction and metabolic risk modification in overweight or obesity: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
This systematic review and meta-analysis pools four randomized trials to evaluate cagrilintide and CagriSema for weight management, reporting significant reductions in body weight and favorable cardiometabolic effects. Adverse events were more frequent with active treatment but discontinuation rates were comparable to placebo. As a synthesis of RCT data on tracked peptides it carries strong evidentiary weight, with effects framed as associations.
Journal of diabetes and metabolic disordersn=—HumanJun 1, 2026 - Study · CagrilintideWeak / none
A cross-species atlas of the dorsal vagal complex reveals neural mediators of the effects of cagrilintide on energy balance.
This mechanistic animal study builds a cross-species brainstem cell atlas and identifies Calcr/Prlh neuron populations as mediators of cagrilintide's effects on energy balance, distinguishing them from semaglutide's pathway. It is preclinical work in rodents and non-human primates, so findings are mechanistic rather than clinical. It offers a useful biological explanation for how the amylin agonist may act.
Nature metabolismn=—AnimalJun 1, 2026