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How-to · reconstitution
In this example, 1 mL of bacteriostatic water in a 5 mg Cagrilintide vial gives 5.00 mg/mL. An example 2.4 mg amount is then 48.0 units on a U-100 syringe.
This example lands on a syringe line. More water makes a weaker mix and a bigger draw. Less water makes a stronger mix and a smaller one. The amount of Cagrilintide stays the same. Use the diluent and volume specified for your product; the arithmetic alone does not choose them.
| Water added | Concentration | Per U-100 unit | Example: 2.4 mg = |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 mL | 5.00 mg/mL | 50 mcg | 48.0 units |
| 2 mL | 2.50 mg/mL | 25 mcg | 96.0 units |
Straight arithmetic: concentration = 5 mg ÷ liquid volume, and 1 U-100 unit = 0.01 mL. The example column shows the math at 2.4 mg; it is not a dose recommendation.
The table compares possible concentrations; it does not establish which diluent or volume suits your product. Follow its dispensing instructions.
“Hard to measure” means the example draw is below two U-100 units. “Won’t fit” means it exceeds this syringe’s capacity.
Cagrilintide is a weekly shot in weight-loss studies. It copies amylin, a natural signal that helps you feel full after eating.
The table above uses one worked example. These are the published quantities, converted into marks on a U-100 barrel at each listed liquid volume for a 5 mg vial. Where a quantity was never studied by injection, the row says so.
0.3–4.5 mg once weekly, under the skin. (phase 2 dose-finding arms, with an initial dose-escalation period of up to 6 weeks).
| Water added | Concentration | Draw, low to high |
|---|---|---|
| 1 mL | 5.00 mg/mL | 6.0 to 90.0 units |
| 2 mL | 2.50 mg/mL | 12.0 to 180.0 unitswon’t fit |
Human trialLau DCW et al. Once-weekly cagrilintide for weight management: dose-finding phase 2 trial. Lancet 2021;398:2160-72 (PMID 34798060) · retrieved 2026-08-17
The worked amount uses nearly half the vial, which holds two complete example portions. With the larger water amount, one draw nearly fills a U-100 syringe.
Two is the number of complete doses that fit at the worked amount. There may still be a remainder, and the table does not measure liquid left behind during drawing. It is a quantity calculation rather than a preparation schedule.
A low portion count does not settle the storage question. The time between administrations, the preparation and the container all matter, and none of those limits can be derived from the vial strength alone.
The example therefore does not claim a storage advantage for this smaller vial. Its useful distinction is the larger draw produced by the same drug amount at a lower concentration.
At the larger listed volume the draw covers almost the whole syringe. It fits, but there is no headroom, and the upper end of the studied range would not fit at all.
The comparison shows a capacity limit in these calculations. It does not select a diluent volume: that requires instructions for the specific formulation, not a preference for whichever row fits the syringe.
The cagrilintide study amounts listed here differ from those used for semaglutide. A larger milligram number does not by itself indicate a stronger effect or an equivalent dose of another drug.
Compare each amount within its own study and formulation. The draw calculation describes liquid volume for the entered mass; it does not compare clinical effects or establish a treatment choice.
The calculator lets you enter your product’s vial strength and mixing volume, then shows the arithmetic for your syringe.
Open the Cagrilintide calculator →The arithmetic on this page is only half the question. These are the pages that carry the other half.