What You Need to Know About Taking Farxiga to Treat Heart Failure
Key takeaways:
Farxiga (dapagliflozin) is a Type 2 diabetes treatment that can also treat heart failure in people with or without diabetes. It belongs to a class of medications called sodium-glucose co-transporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitors.
Experts don’t fully understand how Farxiga helps with heart failure. One possible explanation is that it takes stress off the heart by removing extra fluid and salt from the body.
There are ways to save on Farxiga. If you’re eligible, a manufacturer savings card can help you access Farxiga for as little as $0 per month. A patient assistance program is also available.
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In the recent past, there have been a lot of advancements when it comes to treating heart failure. Notably, researchers found that some medications approved for Type 2 diabetes are also beneficial for people living with heart failure. Farxiga (dapagliflozin) is one example.
When Farxiga initially earned its FDA approval for heart failure, it was the first medication in its class to do so. Since then, others in its class have also proven helpful for the condition. But if you’re curious how Farxiga helps treat heart failure, we’ve got you covered. Below, we’ll explore what you need to know if you’re taking Farxiga for this condition.
What is Farxiga?
Farxiga is a once-daily oral tablet that belongs to a class of medications called sodium-glucose co-transporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitors. Other SGLT2 inhibitors include Jardiance (empagliflozin) and Invokana (canagliflozin). These medications work in the kidneys and help the body get rid of extra blood glucose (sugar) by urinating.
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What is Farxiga used for?
Farxiga was originally FDA approved in 2014 to treat Type 2 diabetes in adults. Since then, it’s also been approved to:
Lower the risk of hospitalization for heart failure in adults with Type 2 diabetes and heart disease or heart-related risks factors
Lower the risk of urgent care visits, hospitalization, and death in adults with heart failure
Lower the risk of worsening kidney function, end-stage kidney disease, death and hospitalization for heart failure in certain adults with chronic kidney disease
How does Farxiga help heart failure?
Farxiga may help manage heart failure by taking stress off the heart. Clinical trials have shown that Farxiga helps lower the risk of heart failure complications, such as death or hospital stays. What’s more, it provides significant benefits regardless of a person’s ejection fraction. An ejection fraction is a way to measure how much blood is pumped out by the heart.
Researchers have investigated how SGLT2 inhibitors, such as Farixga, may help improve heart failure. Farxiga works in your kidney to help get rid of extra blood glucose. But they also help remove extra sodium (salt) and fluid, which helps take stress off the heart. Some other possible ways Farxiga may help with heart failure include lowering blood pressure, lowering levels of heart-related inflammation, and stopping the heart from changing shape over time.
Even with all these theories, experts still don’t fully understand how Farxiga helps heart failure. Researchers are still figuring out which explanation is the most accurate, or if there are other reasons. For now, we might not know how Farxiga helps heart failure — we just know it does.
Does Farxiga only treat heart failure in people with Type 2 diabetes?
No. You can take Farxiga for heart failure even if you don’t have Type 2 diabetes.
While heart failure is a common health condition that affects people with diabetes, the studies that evaluated Farxiga for heart failure included people with and without Type 2 diabetes. Study participants experienced heart failure benefits regardless of whether they had diabetes.
How to take Farxiga
The typical Farxiga dosage for heart failure is one 10 mg tablet by mouth once a day. You can take it with or without food. But it’s best to take Farxiga in the morning. This medication can cause you to urinate more often than usual. Taking it early in the day can help keep you from getting up during the night to go to the bathroom.
What are the side effects of Farxiga for heart failure?
The possible side effects of taking Farxiga for heart failure are similar to when people take it for Type 2 diabetes or kidney disease.
Possible side effects include:
Yeast infections around the genitals (more common for women than men)
Cold-like symptoms
Having to urinate more often
It’s possible to become dehydrated while taking Farxiga. In severe cases, dehydration can lead to acute (sudden) kidney damage. Be sure to stay well hydrated while taking Farxiga. If you notice a sudden drop in how often or how much you urinate, contact your healthcare provider.
If you also have Type 2 diabetes, it’s important to be aware of hypoglycemia (low blood glucose). On its own, Farxiga has a low risk of causing hypoglycemia. But when combined with other certain diabetes medications, such as insulin, this risk goes up. It’s best to have a plan in place for treating hypoglycemia quickly if it happens to you.
Very rarely, people taking Farxiga have experienced life-threatening genital infections. If you develop swelling on or near the genitals, along with pain or fever, contact your provider.
How to save on Farxiga
There are ways to save on Farxiga, which is only available as a brand-name medication. GoodRx can help you navigate between patient assistance programs and copay savings cards to save money on your prescription.
Save with a copay savings card. If you have commercial insurance, you may be eligible to pay as little as $0 per month for Farxiga using a savings card from the manufacturer.
Save with patient assistance programs. If you’re uninsured or underinsured, you may be eligible for Farxiga’s patient assistance program, which offers the medication free of cost.
The bottom line
Farxiga (dapagliflozin) is an oral medication that’s FDA approved to treat adults living with heart failure. It’s also approved for Type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease. While researchers are still trying to explain how Farxiga helps heart failure, they know it significantly lowers your risk of hospital stays and death due to heart failure. Talk to your provider to see if this once-daily tablet could be an option for you.
Why trust our experts?
References
AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP. (2023). Farxiga [package insert].
Kemp, A. (2023). Farxiga extended in the US for heart failure. AstraZeneca.
Lopaschuk, G. D., et al. (2020). Mechanisms of cardiovascular benefits of sodium glucose co-transporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors. Journal of the American College of Cardiology Basic to Translational Science.
McMurray, J. J. V., et al. (2019). Dapagliflozin in patients with heart failure and reduced ejection fraction. The New England Journal of Medicine.
Talha, K. M., et al. (2023). SGLT-2 inhibitors in heart failure: A review of current evidence. International Journal of Heart Failure.
U.S. Food and Drug Administration. (2020). FDA approves new treatment for a type of heart failure.
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