Cagrilintide 5 mg vial
How much bacteriostatic water to add to a 5 mg vial of Cagrilintide, the syringe units for each common dose, and how many doses the vial holds.
- Water
- 1 mL
- Strength
- 5 mg/mL
- Common dose
- 0.25 mg
- Draw
- 5 units0.05 mL
- Doses per vial
- 20
The short answer
Mixed with 1 mL of bacteriostatic water, a 5 mg vial of Cagrilintide holds 5 mg/mL. A 0.25 mg dose is then 5 units (0.05 mL) on a U-100 insulin syringe, and the vial holds about 20 doses of that size. Taken 1× per week, it lasts about 20 weeks.
How much water
The water only sets the strength; the dose and the number of doses in the vial stay the same. Draws are on a U-100 insulin syringe, where 1 unit is 0.01 mL.
| Water added | Strength | Per syringe unit | Draw for 0.25 mg |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 mL | 5 mg/mL | 50 mcg | 5 units (0.05 mL) |
| 2 mL | 2.5 mg/mL | 25 mcg | 10 units (0.10 mL) |
| 3 mL | 1.667 mg/mL | 16.7 mcg | 15 units (0.15 mL) |
Dose chart
Syringe units for each common dose at each water volume. Select a cell to open it in the calculator.
| Dose | Water added | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 mL | 2 mL | 3 mL | |
| 0.25 mg | |||
| 0.5 mg | |||
| 1 mg | |||
| 1.7 mg | |||
| 2.4 mg | |||
| 4.5 mg | |||
Draws over 100 units show in mL. Faded values are under 2 units, which is hard to measure. Check that your vial holds the larger volumes.
Where the doses come from
- Trial Alone: 0.3–4.5 mg once weekly for 26 weeks. Weight loss rose with dose, reaching 10.8% at 4.5 mg if everyone had stayed on treatment.
- Trial CagriSema: 2.4 mg cagrilintide with 2.4 mg semaglutide weekly, reached in 4-week steps over 16 weeks.
Doses are what labels, trials or community reports reference, not recommendations. Cagrilintide’s page has the cycle, side effects, cautions and sources.
Mixing and storage
- PrepareLet a refrigerated vial come to room temperature, and wipe both stoppers with an alcohol swab.
- Add 1 mLDraw 1 mL of bacteriostatic water and let it run slowly down the inside wall of the vial.
- Swirl, don’t shakeSwirl gently until the powder dissolves and the liquid is clear.
- Label itWrite the date and the strength, 5 mg/mL, on the vial.
Storage: No label exists. Usual practice: powder frozen or refrigerated; mixed vials at 2–8 °C, protected from light.
The reconstitution guide covers each step, and the units page explains syringe markings.
Questions
How much water do I add to a 5 mg vial of cagrilintide?
There’s no single right amount: the water only sets the strength. With 1 mL of bacteriostatic water, a 5 mg vial holds 5 mg/mL. With 2 mL it’s 2.5 mg/mL; with 3 mL it’s 1.667 mg/mL. Less liquid makes each dose a smaller draw; more makes small doses easier to measure.
How many units is 0.25 mg of cagrilintide?
With 1 mL in a 5 mg vial, 0.25 mg is 5 units (0.05 mL) on a U-100 insulin syringe. With 2 mL, 10 units (0.10 mL); with 3 mL, 15 units (0.15 mL).
How many doses are in a 5 mg vial of cagrilintide?
About 20 doses of 0.25 mg, or 2 of 2.4 mg or 1 of 4.5 mg. Taken 1× per week at 0.25 mg, it lasts about 20 weeks.
How long does a mixed vial of cagrilintide keep?
No label exists. Usual practice: powder frozen or refrigerated; mixed vials at 2–8 °C, protected from light.
Other vial sizes
Sources
- Lau et al., Phase 2 dose-finding trial (Lancet 2021) PMID 34798060
- Garvey et al., REDEFINE 1 (NEJM 2025) doi:10.1056/NEJMoa2502081
The math on this page uses the doses and storage on Cagrilintide’s page.