Empagliflozin
JardiancePubChem CID 11949646 · 3D model
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Blocks a kidney transporter that would otherwise pull sugar back into the blood, so the excess gets flushed out in urine instead.
How it works
Empagliflozin blocks a protein in the kidney called SGLT2, which normally reclaims sugar from urine and sends it back into the bloodstream. With that protein blocked, more sugar passes out of the body in urine instead, which lowers blood sugar without needing extra insulin. This same blockade also changes how the kidney handles sodium and fluid, which eases pressure inside the kidney's filtering units and reduces the workload on the heart. That's why the drug helps not just with blood sugar, but also protects the heart and kidneys over time.
What it’s used for
Jardiance is approved for four main uses: helping people with heart failure avoid hospital stays and reduce their risk of dying from heart-related causes (whether or not they have diabetes); slowing the progression of chronic kidney disease and lowering the risk of kidney failure (again, with or without diabetes); lowering the risk of dying from cardiovascular causes in adults who have type 2 diabetes along with existing heart or blood vessel disease; and, alongside diet and exercise, helping control blood sugar in adults and children age 10 and up with type 2 diabetes.
- Mechanism
- SGLT2 inhibitor
- Drug class
- Small molecule
- Therapeutic area
- Metabolic / Diabetes / Cardiovascular / Nephrology