Empagliflozin and Jardiance are the same medication. Empagliflozin is the active ingredient, and Jardiance is the brand name under which it’s sold. If your doctor writes a prescription for one, you’re getting the other. The drug is manufactured by Boehringer Ingelheim and marketed jointly with Eli Lilly.
How Jardiance and Empagliflozin Are Related
Think of it like ibuprofen and Advil. Empagliflozin is the generic drug name (the actual chemical compound), while Jardiance is the trademarked brand name that appears on the packaging. Every Jardiance tablet contains empagliflozin as its sole active ingredient. The tablets come in two strengths: 10 mg and 25 mg, taken once daily in the morning with or without food. Most people start at 10 mg, and the dose can be increased to 25 mg if well tolerated.
You might also see empagliflozin listed as an ingredient in combination products with other diabetes medications, but when sold on its own, it goes by Jardiance.
What This Medication Does
Empagliflozin belongs to a class of drugs called SGLT2 inhibitors. These work by blocking a protein in the kidneys that normally reabsorbs sugar back into the bloodstream. With that protein blocked, excess glucose passes out of the body through urine instead of recirculating. The result is lower blood sugar levels without directly affecting insulin.
This kidney-based mechanism also produces a mild diuretic effect, which is part of why the drug has benefits beyond blood sugar control. In clinical studies, empagliflozin lowered 24-hour systolic blood pressure by about 5 mmHg compared to baseline, with the effect slightly more pronounced at night. That blood pressure reduction happens independently of diabetes status.
FDA-Approved Uses
Jardiance started as a type 2 diabetes drug, but its approved uses have expanded significantly. The FDA currently approves it for four distinct purposes:
- Type 2 diabetes: As an add-on to diet and exercise for improving blood sugar control in adults and children aged 10 and older.
- Cardiovascular protection in diabetes: To reduce the risk of cardiovascular death in adults with type 2 diabetes who also have established heart disease.
- Heart failure: To reduce the risk of cardiovascular death and hospitalization in adults with heart failure, regardless of whether they have diabetes.
- Chronic kidney disease: To slow kidney function decline and reduce the risk of end-stage kidney disease, cardiovascular death, and hospitalization in adults with chronic kidney disease at risk of progression.
The heart failure and kidney disease approvals are notable because they mean doctors can prescribe Jardiance to people who don’t have diabetes at all. Clinical data supports its use in patients with kidney function as low as an eGFR of 20, which represents fairly advanced kidney disease.
Common and Serious Side Effects
Because empagliflozin pushes extra sugar into the urine, it creates an environment where infections can thrive. The two most common side effects are urinary tract infections and yeast infections in women. These are usually mild and treatable but can occasionally become serious enough to require hospitalization, particularly infections in the genital area.
The most important rare risk is diabetic ketoacidosis, a condition where the body builds up dangerously high levels of acids called ketones in the blood. This can happen even when blood sugar levels appear normal, which makes it tricky to catch. Symptoms include nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, fatigue, and difficulty breathing. Ketoacidosis requires emergency hospital treatment and can be life-threatening.
Is a Generic Version Available?
As of now, Jardiance is still sold under its brand name, and a widely available generic empagliflozin tablet has not yet hit the U.S. market. This means the cost remains relatively high compared to older diabetes medications. If affordability is a concern, checking with your pharmacist about manufacturer savings programs or insurance formulary placement is a practical first step. When a generic does become available, it will contain the same empagliflozin at the same doses, just without the Jardiance branding.