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How does Jardiance help with heart failure?

Medically reviewed by Leigh Ann Anderson, PharmD. Last updated on July 24, 2025.

Official Answer by Drugs.com

Jardiance can help with heart failure by improving your heart’s ability to pump blood throughout the body and deliver oxygen to tissues and organs. It may do this by reducing sodium (salt) and fluid retention, improving energy use by the heart, reducing inflammation and preventing or reversing cardiac enlargement.

The exact way that Jardiance helps to treat and prevent heart failure is not yet fully known, but additional studies are looking into the exact mechanism of action.

In heart failure, Jardiance works by:

Jardiance has been shown in two large studies to lower the risk for cardiovascular death and hospitalization for heart failure (when the heart is weak and cannot pump enough blood to the body) in adults with heart failure.

In patients with type 2 diabetes, heart failure is a frequent complication, but you do not have to be diagnosed with type 2 diabetes to use Jardiance for heart failure. Studies have shown that Jardiance is effective for treating and preventing heart failure in people with or without diabetes.

Jardiance is an oral prescription medicine given as a once daily tablet. Your doctor may prescribe other medicines to use in addition to Jardiance to treat heart failure.

Phase 3 study of Jardiance in heart failure

In February 2022 the FDA cleared Boehringer Ingelheim’s Jardiance (empagliflozin) 10 mg tablets for treatment of adults with chronic heart failure regardless of their left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF). Over 3 million adults in the U.S. have heart failure with preserved ejection fraction, considered a significantly unmet medical need.

Jardiance was the first heart failure therapy to demonstrate a statistically significant risk reduction in cardiovascular death and hospitalization for heart failure, regardless of ejection fraction.

Approval was based on results from the EMPEROR-Preserved phase III trial, which enrolled 5,988 adults with heart failure (with or without type 2 diabetes) and LVEF over 40%. Participants received Jardiance 10 mg or placebo once daily, plus standard of care therapy in both groups.

The primary endpoint was time to death due to cardiovascular reasons or hospitalization for heart failure. Of the participants who received Jardiance for an average of about two years, 14% died from cardiovascular causes or were hospitalized for heart failure, compared to 17% of the individuals who received placebo. The primary benefit was mainly a lower hospitalization. The side effects were comparable to those seen for diabetes use.

For heart failure, Jardiance had been previously approved to reduce the risk of cardiovascular death plus hospitalization for heart failure in adults with heart failure and reduced ejection fraction. The new indication now includes adults with preserved LVEF.

What type of heart failure does Jardiance treat?

Jardiance is used to treat the two most common types of heart failure: systolic heart failure and diastolic heart failure.

Heart failure occurs when the heart is weak and cannot pump enough blood and oxygen to the body. Fluid may back up in your body leading to swelling in your ankles, legs and stomach area. You may have trouble breathing due to fluid excess around your lungs.

Heart failure is also often called congestive heart failure.

Who gets heart failure and what are the symptoms?

Heart failure becomes more common as people get older, but anyone can be at risk. People over 65 years of age are more likely to have heart failure.

Most people who develop heart failure have often had another condition first, like heart disease (atherosclerosis or clogged arteries), high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome or an overactive thyroid.

Other risk factors may include:

Symptoms of heart failure can range from mild to severe and may come and go. Symptoms typically worsen over time and include:

What is Jardiance FDA-approved to treat?

Jardiance (empagliflozin) is approved by the FDA to:

This medicine is given as an oral tablet taken once daily in the morning with or without food. Take your medicine exactly as your doctor prescribes it.

Related questions

Guideline recommendations

SGLT-2 inhibitors like Jardiance are recommended as treatment for adults with type 2 diabetes who have heart failure (with either reduced or preserved ejection fraction) for glycemic (blood sugar) management and prevention of heart failure hospitalizations, as noted in the Standards of Care in Diabetes from the American Diabetes Association Professional Practice Committee.

List of SGLT-2 inhibitors used to treat heart failure

SGLT-2 inhibitors used in the treatment of heart failure include:

What Jardiance side effects should I watch out for?

Jardiance is usually well-tolerated, but you should review and discuss these important side effects with your doctor.

The most common side effects (5% or greater) are:

Other common Jardiance side effects may include:

Serious side effects can include:

Visit here to learn more about Jardiance dosing, warnings, and side effects in more detail.

If I don't have diabetes, can I use Jardiance for heart failure?

Yes, you do not have to be diagnosed with type 2 diabetes to use Jardiance for heart failure. High blood sugar can lead to or worsen heart failure by causing inflammation, damaging blood vessels, and weakening the heart muscle. Jardiance can lower blood sugar in people with heart failure.

Clinical trials have shown that Jardiance is effective in reducing the risk of heart-related death and hospitalization for heart failure in adults with or without type 2 diabetes, and it is approved for this use.

Jardiance (empagliflozin) is in a group of medicines called sodium glucose co-transporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitors. By blocking the SGLT2 protein in the kidney, more glucose (sugar) and sodium (salt) is excreted from the body through urine instead of being reabsorbed back into the bloodstream.

Bottom Line

Jardiance may work by making it easier for the heart to pump blood and oxygen throughout the body. It's thought to help prevent and treat heart failure in adults by:

In large, Phase 3 studies, Jaridance has been shown to have positive outcomes in people with heart failure (with or without type 2 diabetes), including a lower risk for heart-related death and hospitalization for heart failure in adults.

The most common side effects with Jardiance include urinary tract infections and yeast infections in females.

This is not all the information you need to know about Jardiance (empagliflozin) for safe and effective use and does not take the place of your doctor’s directions. Review the full product information and discuss any questions you have with your doctor or other health care provider.

References

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Jardiance has a rare side effect called necrotizing fasciitis of the perineum (Fournier’s gangrene). This is a rare, life-threatening infection caused by bacteria entering the layer of tissue just under the skin in the perineum, the space between the anus and scrotum in men, and the anus and vulva in women. Continue reading

Can Jardiance cause kidney problems?

Research suggests it is unlikely for Jardiance to cause acute kidney injury. While uncommon, it is possible for Jardiance (empagliflozin) to cause kidney problems in some people. According to the prescribing information, there have been reports of kidney injury in some people who took Jardiance. Continue reading

What is Jardiance used for and how does it work?

Jardiance is a sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT-2) inhibitor used with diet and exercise to help control blood sugar and protect the heart in people 10 years of age and older with type 2 diabetes. It lowers blood sugar by blocking proteins in the kidney to increase glucose excretion through the urine.

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