Is Jardiance A Glp 1?

No, Jardiance is not a GLP-1 drug. Jardiance is the brand name for empagliflozin, and it belongs to a different drug class called SGLT2 inhibitors. GLP-1 drugs include semaglutide (Ozempic, Wegovy) and liraglutide (Victoza), and they work through an entirely different mechanism.

The two classes are often mentioned together because both treat type 2 diabetes and both can support weight loss. But confusing them can matter for how you take them, what side effects to expect, and what your insurance will cover.

What Drug Class Is Jardiance?

Jardiance is an SGLT2 inhibitor. The full name is sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitor, and the class also includes dapagliflozin (Farxiga) and canagliflozin (Invokana).

These drugs work in the kidneys. The kidneys filter glucose out of the blood and normally reabsorb most of it back into the body through a protein called SGLT2. Empagliflozin blocks that protein. As a result, more glucose stays in the urine and leaves the body instead of returning to the bloodstream.

That mechanism is the reason SGLT2 inhibitors lower blood sugar without depending on insulin. It also explains a side effect people notice quickly: more frequent urination, and a higher risk of genital yeast infections, because sugar in the urine feeds yeast.

The FDA approved empagliflozin in 2014 for type 2 diabetes. Later approvals extended its use to heart failure and to chronic kidney disease in certain patients, based on large clinical trials showing benefit in those groups. Those expanded uses are a meaningful difference from GLP-1 drugs, which have their own separate evidence base.

What Makes GLP-1 Drugs Different?

GLP-1 stands for glucagon-like peptide-1. It is a hormone your gut releases after you eat, and GLP-1 drugs mimic it.

When you take a GLP-1 drug, it slows how fast food leaves your stomach, signals your brain to reduce appetite, and prompts your pancreas to release insulin when blood sugar rises. Those three effects explain most of what the drugs do, including the weight loss many people experience.

Semaglutide and liraglutide are the most widely known. Tirzepatide (Mounjaro, Zepbound) is sometimes grouped with them in conversation, but it is technically a dual GIP and GLP-1 receptor agonist, not a pure GLP-1 drug. That distinction gets lost in casual discussion, and it matters if you are comparing medications with your doctor.

None of these drugs act on the kidneys the way Jardiance does. And Jardiance does not slow stomach emptying or suppress appetite through hormone signaling. The mechanisms do not overlap.

Jardiance vs GLP-1 Drugs: How Do They Compare?

The two classes differ in how they are taken, how they work, and what they are approved to treat. Here is a side-by-side view of the general categories.

One practical point: because Jardiance is a pill and most GLP-1 drugs are injections, people sometimes assume the pill is milder. That is not a reliable assumption. Each drug has its own side effect profile, and severity varies by person.

Can You Take Jardiance and a GLP-1 Drug Together?

Yes, combining them is a recognized approach in type 2 diabetes care. Because the mechanisms are different, the effects can add up on blood sugar control.

Some clinicians use this combination when a single drug is not enough to reach blood sugar targets, or when a patient has heart or kidney considerations that favor an SGLT2 inhibitor alongside the glucose-lowering effect of a GLP-1 drug. Clinical guidance in recent years has increasingly emphasized choosing drugs based on heart and kidney risk, not just blood sugar numbers.

That said, combining glucose-lowering drugs raises the chance of hypoglycemia, especially if you also take insulin or a sulfonylurea. Your prescriber may adjust doses of those other medications. This is not a decision to make on your own.

Why Do People Confuse the Two?

Both drug classes are used for type 2 diabetes. Both can lead to weight loss, though through different routes and to different degrees. Both have received a lot of media attention for heart and kidney benefits. And both are expensive brand-name medications that come up in the same conversations about diabetes and obesity treatment.

There is also a naming effect. Jardiance had a widely seen advertising campaign, and GLP-1 drugs have dominated health news. When two drug names appear in the same headlines often enough, people start to assume they are related.

They are not. If you are trying to remember the difference, one simple anchor helps: Jardiance works through your kidneys and comes as a pill. GLP-1 drugs work through your gut and brain and are mostly injections.

What Are the Side Effects of Each?

Jardiance side effects include genital yeast infections, urinary tract infections, increased urination, and dehydration. A rare but serious risk is a condition called diabetic ketoacidosis, which can occur even when blood sugar is not extremely high, sometimes called euglycemic ketoacidosis. This has been reported with SGLT2 inhibitors and is a reason these drugs require monitoring in certain situations, such as before surgery or during serious illness.

GLP-1 drugs commonly cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and constipation, especially when starting or increasing the dose. More serious concerns include pancreatitis and gallbladder problems, and there is a warning about thyroid C-cell tumors based on animal studies; the human relevance of that finding is still debated. Rapid weight loss from GLP-1 drugs can also lead to loss of muscle mass, which is an active area of research.

Neither list is complete. Your pharmacist can give you the full picture for any specific medication.

Which One Is Right for You?

That question cannot be answered from an article. The choice depends on your blood sugar levels, kidney function, heart health, weight goals, other medications, cost and insurance coverage, and whether you prefer a pill or an injection.

What this article can do is clear up the class confusion so you can have a more precise conversation with your doctor. If you thought Jardiance was a GLP-1 drug, you now know it is not. If you are weighing options, ask your prescriber directly: which class fits my health profile, and why?

One clarification worth knowing: neither drug class is a substitute for the other in every situation. They have different approved uses, different evidence for heart and kidney outcomes, and different side effect profiles. A drug that works well for one person’s heart failure may not be the right choice for another person’s weight goals.