Two medicines, side by side
Dapagliflozin vs empagliflozin
Dapagliflozin and empagliflozin are both labeled for heart failure, type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease. Drugs@FDA records approvals of dapagliflozin since 2014 and of empagliflozin since 2014. Pharmacies paid $0.184 per dapagliflozin 10 mg tablet and $11.19 per Jardiance 10 mg tablet (NADAC, October 7, 2026); one is a brand and one a generic, so the two prices are not like for like. How each works, in its label's words: Dapagliflozin, “Dapagliflozin is an inhibitor of SGLT2.”; Empagliflozin, “Empagliflozin is an inhibitor of SGLT2, the predominant transporter responsible for reabsorption of glucose from the glomerular filtrate back into the circulation.”
Check it at the source: the dapagliflozin FDA label on DailyMed (effective June 3, 2026); the empagliflozin FDA label on DailyMed (effective January 30, 2026).
Highlights of the dapagliflozin record
Dapagliflozin (Farxiga) · label of June 3, 2026
Used for
From the label: indicationsFARXIGA (dapagliflozin) is indicated: • To reduce the risk of sustained eGFR decline, end-stage kidney disease, cardiovascular (CV) death, and hospitalization for heart failure in adults with chronic kidney disease at risk of progression. • To reduce the risk of CV death, hospitalization for heart failure, and urgent heart failure visit in adults with heart failure. […]
On the market
- Earliest approval on file
- January 8, 2014
- Generic labelers
- 22 labelers
- Pharmacy cost
- $0.184 per tablet
Supply and safety
- Shortage
- No current entry
- Recalls
- 0
Highlights of the empagliflozin record
Empagliflozin (Jardiance) · label of January 30, 2026
Used for
From the label: indicationsJARDIANCE is indicated: to reduce the risk of cardiovascular death and hospitalization for heart failure in adults with heart failure. to reduce the risk of sustained decline in eGFR, end-stage kidney disease, cardiovascular death, and hospitalization in adults with chronic kidney disease at risk of progression. to reduce the risk of cardiovascular death in adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus and established cardiovascular disease. as an adjunct to diet and exercise to improve glycemic control in adults and pediatric patients aged 10 years and older with type 2 diabetes mellitus. […]
On the market
- Earliest approval on file
- August 1, 2014
- Generic labelers
- none listed
- Pharmacy cost
- $11.19 per tablet
Supply and safety
- Shortage
- No current entry
- Recalls
- 2
Source: FDA drug labels via openFDA (Dapagliflozin label of June 3, 2026, Empagliflozin label of January 30, 2026); NDC Directory, Drugs@FDA, NADAC, FDA shortages and recalls (October 8, 2026)
How do dapagliflozin and empagliflozin differ on the record?
How each works, in its label's words: Dapagliflozin, “Dapagliflozin is an inhibitor of SGLT2.”; Empagliflozin, “Empagliflozin is an inhibitor of SGLT2, the predominant transporter responsible for reabsorption of glucose from the glomerular filtrate back into the circulation.”
Both are in FDA's class sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors.
Generics: dapagliflozin since 2026; empagliflozin since 2022 (Drugs@FDA).
| Dapagliflozin | Empagliflozin | |
|---|---|---|
| Labeled for | Chronic kidney disease, Heart failure, Type 2 diabetes | Heart failure, Type 2 diabetes, Chronic kidney disease |
| Pharmacologic class | Sodium-Glucose Cotransporter 2 Inhibitor | Sodium-Glucose Cotransporter 2 Inhibitor |
| How it works (label) | Sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2), expressed in the proximal renal tubules, is responsible for the majority of the reabsorption of filtered glucose from the tubular lumen. Dapagliflozin is an inhibitor of SGLT2. | Empagliflozin is an inhibitor of SGLT2, the predominant transporter responsible for reabsorption of glucose from the glomerular filtrate back into the circulation. |
| Half-life (label) | The mean plasma terminal half-life (t ½ ) for dapagliflozin is approximately 12.9 hours following a single oral dose of FARXIGA 10 mg. | n/a |
| Earliest approval on file (Drugs@FDA) | January 8, 2014 | August 1, 2014 |
| First generic approved | April 6, 2026 | August 3, 2022 |
| Generic labelers (NDC) | 22 labelers | none listed |
| Pharmacy cost (NADAC, each one's most listed form; strengths differ) | $0.184 per tablet (Dapagliflozin 10 mg tablet) | $11.19 per tablet (Jardiance 10 mg tablet) |
| 12-month price change | -98% | -44% |
| Boxed warning | No | No |
| Shortage now | No current entry | No current entry |
| Recalls recorded | 0 | 2 |
| FAERS reports (a report is not proof of cause; counts follow how widely a medicine is used) | 56,884 | 66,937 |
| DEA schedule | none | none |
Source: Drugs@FDA, FDA NDC Directory, CMS NADAC of October 7, 2026, FDA shortages and recalls, FAERS via openFDA (FDA files October 8, 2026)
What next?
- Alternatives to dapagliflozin
- every medicine labeled for the same conditions