Comparison. Research use only.
Cagrilintide vs Tirzepatide
Two different receptor strategies in metabolic research. Tirzepatide is a dual GIP/GLP-1 incretin agonist characterized across the SURMOUNT program. Cagrilintide is a long-acting amylin analog acting on a separate satiety pathway; its Phase 3 program paired it with semaglutide, not Tirzepatide, and no head-to-head trial of the two has been published.
What is the difference between Cagrilintide and Tirzepatide?
Cagrilintide is a long-acting amylin analog that activates the calcitonin receptor and the amylin receptors AMY1R to AMY3R; Tirzepatide is a dual agonist at the GLP-1 and GIP incretin receptors. They act on separate satiety pathways. Tirzepatide is FDA-approved after the SURMOUNT and SURPASS programs, while Cagrilintide remains investigational, with Phase 2 monotherapy data and Phase 3 trials alongside semaglutide.
| Attribute | Cagrilintide | Tirzepatide |
|---|---|---|
| Hormone family | Amylin (islet amyloid polypeptide) analog | Incretin: GIP-based dual agonist |
| Receptor targets | Calcitonin receptor plus amylin receptors AMY1R, AMY2R and AMY3R | GLP-1R and GIPR |
| Length | 37 amino acids | 39 amino acids |
| Molecular weight | 4409 g/mol (average) | 4813.47 Da |
| Albumin-binding modification | C20 diacid on Lys1 via a gamma-glutamyl linker | C18 fatty diacid via a linker; plasma half-life about 5 days |
| Human evidence | Phase 2 monotherapy (Lau et al., Lancet 2021, n=706); Phase 3 REDEFINE 1 and 2 with semaglutide | Phase 3 SURMOUNT-1 (n=2,539), SURPASS-1 (n=478), SURPASS-2 (n=1,879) |
| Regulatory status | Investigational; not approved by any agency | FDA-approved as Mounjaro (2022) and Zepbound (2023) |
What is Cagrilintide?
Cagrilintide is a lipidated, fibrillation-resistant analogue of human islet amyloid polypeptide (amylin), a 37-residue beta-cell hormone released alongside insulin. The parent hormone clumps readily into amyloid fibrils, which historically made it hard to develop as a drug.
Read the full Cagrilintide research summary →What is Tirzepatide?
Tirzepatide (LY3298176) is a synthetic dual agonist peptide that activates both the glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor (GLP-1R) and the glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide receptor (GIPR). Structurally, it is a 39-amino acid peptide based on the native GIP sequence, with modifications that let it also activate GLP-1R.
Read the full Tirzepatide research summary →Cagrilintide and Tirzepatide specifications
Frequently asked questions
Do Cagrilintide and Tirzepatide act on the same receptors?
No. Cagrilintide is a non-selective agonist at the calcitonin receptor and the three amylin receptors, and rodent knockout work (Carvas et al., 2025) tied its body-weight effect to AMY1R and AMY3R. Tirzepatide activates the GLP-1 and GIP incretin receptors. Amylin and incretin receptors signal through partly non-overlapping brain circuits, which is the main reason Cagrilintide and Tirzepatide are compared.
Have Cagrilintide and Tirzepatide been compared head-to-head?
No head-to-head trial of Cagrilintide versus Tirzepatide appears in our research data. Cagrilintide's Phase 2 trial (Lau et al., Lancet 2021) used liraglutide as the active comparator, and its Phase 3 REDEFINE trials tested it alongside semaglutide. Tirzepatide's comparator in SURPASS-2 was semaglutide. Cross-trial differences between Cagrilintide and Tirzepatide therefore reflect different designs and populations.
Have Cagrilintide and Tirzepatide been studied in humans?
Yes. Tirzepatide completed Phase 3 programs including SURMOUNT-1 (Jastreboff et al., NEJM 2022, n=2,539) and SURPASS-2 (Frías et al., NEJM 2021, n=1,879). Cagrilintide was studied alone in a 26-week Phase 2 trial (Lau et al., Lancet 2021, n=706), and in the Phase 3 REDEFINE 1 and REDEFINE 2 trials (Garvey et al. and Davies et al., NEJM 2025), all from a single sponsor's program.
What is the regulatory status of Cagrilintide and Tirzepatide?
Tirzepatide is FDA-approved as Mounjaro (type 2 diabetes, 2022) and Zepbound (obesity, 2023); other uses are investigational. Cagrilintide is an investigational new drug, not approved by the FDA, EMA or any other agency, either alone or in its fixed pairing with semaglutide, for which a US application was submitted in December 2025. Veridian supplies both for research use only.
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