Two medicines, side by side
Empagliflozin vs sitagliptin
Empagliflozin and sitagliptin are both labeled for type 2 diabetes. Drugs@FDA records approvals of empagliflozin since 2014 and of sitagliptin since 2006. Pharmacies paid $11.19 per Jardiance 10 mg tablet and $3.77 per sitagliptin phosphate 100 mg tablet (NADAC, October 7, 2026); the strengths differ and one is a brand and one a generic, so the two prices are not like for like. In FDA's classes, empagliflozin is a sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitor and sitagliptin a dipeptidyl peptidase 4 inhibitor.
Check it at the source: the empagliflozin FDA label on DailyMed (effective January 30, 2026); the sitagliptin FDA label on DailyMed (effective November 14, 2024).
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
Highlights of the sitagliptin record
Sitagliptin (Januvia) · label of November 14, 2024
Used for
From the label: indicationsJANUVIA ® is indicated as an adjunct to diet and exercise to improve glycemic control in adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus. JANUVIA is a dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitor indicated as an adjunct to diet and exercise to improve glycemic control in adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus. […]
On the market
- Earliest approval on file
- October 16, 2006
- Generic labelers
- 4 labelers
- Pharmacy cost
- $3.77 per tablet
Supply and safety
- Shortage
- No current entry
- Recalls
- 1
Source: FDA drug labels via openFDA (Empagliflozin label of January 30, 2026, Sitagliptin label of November 14, 2024); NDC Directory, Drugs@FDA, NADAC, FDA shortages and recalls (October 8, 2026)
How do empagliflozin and sitagliptin differ on the record?
In FDA's classes, empagliflozin is a sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitor and sitagliptin a dipeptidyl peptidase 4 inhibitor.
How each works, in its label's words: Empagliflozin, “Empagliflozin is an inhibitor of SGLT2, the predominant transporter responsible for reabsorption of glucose from the glomerular filtrate back into the circulation.”; Sitagliptin, “Sitagliptin is a DPP-4 inhibitor, which is believed to exert its actions in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus by slowing the inactivation of incretin hormones.”
Generics: empagliflozin since 2022; sitagliptin since 2025 (Drugs@FDA).
| Empagliflozin | Sitagliptin | |
|---|---|---|
| Labeled for | Heart failure, Type 2 diabetes, Chronic kidney disease | Type 2 diabetes |
| Pharmacologic class | Sodium-Glucose Cotransporter 2 Inhibitor | Dipeptidyl Peptidase 4 Inhibitor |
| How it works (label) | Empagliflozin is an inhibitor of SGLT2, the predominant transporter responsible for reabsorption of glucose from the glomerular filtrate back into the circulation. | Sitagliptin is a DPP-4 inhibitor, which is believed to exert its actions in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus by slowing the inactivation of incretin hormones. |
| Half-life (label) | n/a | Following a single oral 100-mg dose to healthy volunteers, mean plasma AUC of sitagliptin was 8.52 μM•hr, C max was 950 nM, and apparent terminal half-life (t 1/2 ) was 12.4 hours. |
| Earliest approval on file (Drugs@FDA) | August 1, 2014 | October 16, 2006 |
| First generic approved | August 3, 2022 | December 29, 2025 |
| Generic labelers (NDC) | none listed | 4 labelers |
| Pharmacy cost (NADAC, each one's most listed form; strengths differ) | $11.19 per tablet (Jardiance 10 mg tablet) | $3.77 per tablet (Sitagliptin phosphate 100 mg tablet) |
| 12-month price change | -44% | n/a |
| Boxed warning | No | No |
| Shortage now | No current entry | No current entry |
| Recalls recorded | 2 | 1 |
| FAERS reports (a report is not proof of cause; counts follow how widely a medicine is used) | 66,937 | 74,197 |
| 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 empagliflozin
- every medicine labeled for the same conditions