Tirzepatide vs Cagrilintide
A complete dual-incretin tool vs an amylin combination partner
Tirzepatide
Dual GIP and GLP-1 agonist. Beats Semaglutide head-to-head on weight loss and glycaemic control, and is becoming the default first-line choice when both are available.
Best for
Best as a standalone — Tirzepatide is a finished, approved fat-loss tool with strong Phase 3 data.
Read full pageCagrilintide
Long-acting amylin analogue for once-weekly dosing. Useful on its own; dramatically more useful paired with Semaglutide as the CagriSema combination.
Best for
Best when you are building a stack; as monotherapy amylin analogs are gentler and less proven.
Read full pageKey difference
Tirzepatide is designed to work by itself; Cagrilintide is designed to work alongside a GLP-1. Comparing them solo flatters Tirzepatide, which is the point — pick Cagrilintide for combinations, not as a replacement.
Evidence quality
Tirzepatide
Regulator-approvedFDA-approved 2022 for type 2 diabetes (Mounjaro) and 2023 for chronic weight management (Zepbound); EMA approval followed. The SURPASS 1–5 diabetes trials and SURMOUNT 1–4 obesity trials constitute the largest randomised dataset of any dual incretin. SURMOUNT-1 vs STEP 1 is the cleanest head-to-head proxy, and SURPASS-2 was a direct comparison: Tirzepatide came out ahead on both weight and HbA1c.
Cagrilintide
Phase 2 trialsNovo Nordisk published a Phase 2 monotherapy trial in The Lancet (2021) showing 6.0–10.8% weight loss across the dose range. The molecule has not been pursued for monotherapy approval; instead, Novo has folded it into the CagriSema combination as the lead clinical strategy. Independent Phase 3 monotherapy data does not exist as of 2026.
Not sure which one fits? Open both full pages and read the contraindications first — they are usually the deciding factor.