Two medicines, side by side
Linagliptin vs sitagliptin
Linagliptin and sitagliptin are both labeled for type 2 diabetes. Drugs@FDA records approvals of linagliptin since 2011 and of sitagliptin since 2006. Pharmacies paid $16.80 per Tradjenta 5 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. How each works, in its label's words: Linagliptin, “Linagliptin is an inhibitor of DPP-4, an enzyme that degrades the incretin hormones glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) and glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP).”; 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.”
Check it at the source: the linagliptin FDA label on DailyMed (effective March 21, 2025); the sitagliptin FDA label on DailyMed (effective November 14, 2024).
Highlights of the linagliptin record
Linagliptin (Tradjenta) · label of March 21, 2025
Used for
From the label: indicationsTRADJENTA is 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
- May 2, 2011
- Generic labelers
- none listed
- Pharmacy cost
- $16.80 per tablet
Supply and safety
- Shortage
- No current entry
- Recalls
- 0
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 (Linagliptin label of March 21, 2025, Sitagliptin label of November 14, 2024); NDC Directory, Drugs@FDA, NADAC, FDA shortages and recalls (October 8, 2026)
How do linagliptin and sitagliptin differ on the record?
How each works, in its label's words: Linagliptin, “Linagliptin is an inhibitor of DPP-4, an enzyme that degrades the incretin hormones glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) and glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP).”; 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.”
Both are in FDA's class dipeptidyl peptidase 4 inhibitors.
Half-life, in each label's words: Linagliptin, “Plasma concentrations of linagliptin decline in at least a biphasic manner with a long terminal half-life (>100 hours) …”; Sitagliptin, “Following a single oral 100-mg dose to healthy volunteers, mean plasma AUC of sitagliptin was 8.52 μM•hr, C max was 950 …”
Generics: linagliptin since 2021; sitagliptin since 2025 (Drugs@FDA).
| Linagliptin | Sitagliptin | |
|---|---|---|
| Labeled for | Type 2 diabetes | Type 2 diabetes |
| Pharmacologic class | Dipeptidyl Peptidase 4 Inhibitor | Dipeptidyl Peptidase 4 Inhibitor |
| How it works (label) | Linagliptin is an inhibitor of DPP-4, an enzyme that degrades the incretin hormones glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) and glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP). | 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) | Plasma concentrations of linagliptin decline in at least a biphasic manner with a long terminal half-life (>100 hours), related to the saturable binding of linagliptin to DPP-4. | 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) | May 2, 2011 | October 16, 2006 |
| First generic approved | August 31, 2021 | December 29, 2025 |
| Generic labelers (NDC) | none listed | 4 labelers |
| Pharmacy cost (NADAC, each one's most listed form; strengths differ) | $16.80 per tablet (Tradjenta 5 mg tablet) | $3.77 per tablet (Sitagliptin phosphate 100 mg tablet) |
| 12-month price change | no change | n/a |
| Boxed warning | No | No |
| Shortage now | No current entry | No current entry |
| Recalls recorded | 0 | 1 |
| FAERS reports (a report is not proof of cause; counts follow how widely a medicine is used) | 18,132 | 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 linagliptin
- every medicine labeled for the same conditions