Key takeaways:
Jardiance (empagliflozin) is a medication used to help manage blood glucose (blood sugar) levels for people with Type 2 diabetes. It’s also used to lower the risk of cardiovascular death for people with Type 2 diabetes and heart disease. It can also help people with chronic kidney disease or heart failure avoid potentially serious health complications.
Jardiance is available only as a brand-name medication. But it may have more benefits and fewer drawbacks than less costly medications.
There are many ways to save on Jardiance. If you’re eligible, a manufacturer savings card can help you access Jardiance for as little as $10 per month. A patient assistance program is also available.
Save on related medications
About 12% of the U.S. population has diabetes. That’s more than 38 million people.
Jardiance (empagliflozin), which has no commercially available generic alternative as of June 2025, is known for its high cost. Even people with insurance may not be able to afford this medication. Below, we examine ways to save on Jardiance.
What is Jardiance?
Jardiance (empagliflozin) is an FDA-approved prescription medication used to treat Type 2 diabetes. It works by helping to lower blood sugar levels independent of insulin. Because of this, Jardiance carries a low risk of blood sugar levels dropping to hypoglycemic (low) levels.
This medication is used to:
Manage blood glucose (blood sugar) levels for people ages 10 and older with Type 2 diabetes
Lower the risk of cardiovascular death for people with Type 2 diabetes and heart disease
Lower the risk of cardiovascular death and hospitalization in certain adults with heart failure
Slow the progression of chronic kidney disease in adults while lowering the risk of cardiovascular death and hospitalization
Jardiance is part of a drug class known as sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitors, which treat Type 2 diabetes by removing excess sugar from the body via urine. Jardiance is an oral tablet taken once daily.
How much does Jardiance cost?
The manufacturer’s list price for Jardiance was $629.43 for a 30-supply as of January 1, 2025. But that price is not what most people pay for this medication.
If you have insurance, what you pay for Jardiance depends on your plan’s pharmacy benefits. Check with your insurer or a pharmacist to find out if and how your plan’s formulary covers this medication. Your out-of-pocket costs will vary depending on your plan.
Without insurance, 30 tablets of Jardiance 10 mg can cost $761.69 on average. You could pay as little as $622.89 with a GoodRx coupon at select pharmacies.
Read on for ways to save on Jardiance. You may qualify for the Jardiance savings card or patient assistance program.
How to save on Jardiance
GoodRx can help you navigate between copay savings cards and patient assistance programs to save money on your prescription. For Jardiance:
You can save with a copay savings card. If you have commercial insurance, you may be eligible to pay as little as $10 by using a Jardiance savings card from the manufacturer.
Save with patient assistance programs. If you’re uninsured or underinsured, you may be eligible for Jardiance’s patient assistance program, which offers the medication for free to those who qualify.
Hyperglycemia vs. hypoglycemia: If you have diabetes, it’s important to recognize the symptoms of each one.
Dietary supplement interactions: Some dietary supplements can interact with diabetes medications. Find out which ones can lower your blood glucose (blood sugar) and which ones can raise it.
Diabetes and heart disease: Diabetes increases your chance of having heart disease. There are certain steps you can take to keep your diabetes well managed and help avoid heart disease.
Additional details about these programs are provided below.
1. Jardiance Savings Card
Program website | |
Phone number | |
Manufacturers | Boehringer Ingelheim and Eli Lilly |
How much can I save? | Your copay may be reduced to as little as $10 per month for a 1- to 3-month supply. You could save up to $175 per 30-day supply. |
How do I get the discount? | Download and print a card online. |
Are there any restrictions? | This discount is available only to commercially insured people. You must be at least 18 years old and live in the 50 United States, Washington D.C., or Puerto Rico. People covered by government insurance, such as Medicaid, Medicare, and Tricare, aren’t eligible. |
2. Boehringer Cares Foundation Patient Assistance Program
Program website | https://www.boehringer-ingelheim.us/our-responsibility/patient-assistance-program |
Phone number | |
Manufacturers | Boehringer Ingelheim and Eli Lilly |
How much can I save? | If you meet eligibility requirements, certain Boehringer Ingelheim medications are free of charge. This includes Jardiance. |
How do I apply for the program? | Fill out the application for the program. You can ask your prescriber to help. |
Are there any restrictions? | You must be a resident with a physical address in the U.S. or its territories. You will need proof of your yearly household income. You must attest that you cannot afford the medication because you are uninsured or underinsured and don’t have the means to pay out-of-pocket expenses. |
3. Fill a 90-day prescription instead of 30 days
Another way to save on Jardiance is to get a 90-day supply instead of 30 days. In many cases, a 90-day supply of a medication can cost less per tablet than a 30-day supply. The larger quantity will also reduce the number of trips to the pharmacy. Ask your prescriber about potentially making this change.
Does Medicare or other insurance cover Jardiance?
Nearly all health insurance plans cover Jardiance. This includes almost every Medicaid, Medicare, and commercial plan, including those purchased through an Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplace.
If you have insurance, review your plan’s summary of benefits and coverage and formulary (list of covered medications) to determine whether Jardiance is covered. If not, ask your prescription plan provider about your coverage options. If your insurance doesn’t cover Jardiance, your prescriber can help you submit an appeal. You can also discuss alternatives with your prescriber or a pharmacist.
How insurance covers Jardiance
The following chart shows the likelihood of coverage for Jardiance 10 mg tablets, a common dose, based on the type of insurance plan.
Some health insurance plans require enrollees to get prior authorization or do step therapy. Prior authorization is required for about 1 in 4 people covered by Medicaid. More than one-third of enrollees with commercial plans will be required to do step therapy.
Insurance coverage for Jardiance (10 mg tablet)
Insurance type | Enrollees covered for Jardiance, 10 mg tablet | Enrollees required to get prior authorization | Enrollees required to do step therapy |
|---|---|---|---|
Commercial plans (not including plans purchased through an ACA marketplace) | 99.8% | 3.5% | 37.6% |
99.9% | 7.8% | 34.9% | |
Medicare, including original Medicare and Medicare Advantage plans | 99.9% | 0% | 0.1% |
Medicaid, including state-run and managed care plans | 99.9% | 25.5% | 23% |
Source: Managed Markets Insight & Technology, LLC™, as of May 12, 2025. (See methodology below.)
Are there alternatives to Jardiance?
You may be able to save by using other medications if they are right for you:
Farxiga (dapagliflozin) is another SGLT2 inhibitor, and it’s available as a generic medication.
Metformin remains a standard-of-care treatment for Type 2 diabetes.
Glyxambi (empagliflozin / linagliptin), a combination medication that shares an active ingredient with Jardiance, is an oral pill taken daily.
Synjardy (empagliflozin / metformin), taken twice daily, and Synjardy XR (empagliflozin / metformin), taken once a day, share an active ingredient with Jardiance.
Trijardy XR (empagliflozin / linagliptin / metformin) is another oral medication that shares an active ingredient with Jardiance.
Victoza (liraglutide) is a once-daily noninsulin injection that lowers blood sugar. This medication belongs to a drug class known as GLP-1 agonists.
Ozempic (semaglutide), also a GLP-1 agonist, is a once-weekly injection.
Mounjaro (tirzepatide), was the first in a new class of medications called GLP-1/GIP agonists that work by simulating two gut hormones: GLP-1 and glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP). It’s a once-weekly injection.
Invokana (canagliflozin) is an SGLT2 that provides similar benefits as Victoza, plus some benefits for people with kidney disease.
Invokamet (canagliflozin / metformin) and Invokamet XR are oral medications taken once or twice daily that combine Invokana and metformin into one pill.
Many other medications are available. You can ask your prescriber about whether a switch and its trade-offs make sense for you.
Why does Jardiance cost so much?
One reason Jardiance is costly is because it’s available only as a brand-name medication — a generic version isn’t available (as of June 2025). Until a generic version arrives on the market, the only way to get Jardiance is to buy the brand-name medication.
Generic medications are often less costly because their manufacturers don’t have to invest in research and development (R&D) expenses. Since pharmaceutical companies for brand-name medications invest heavily in R&D through clinical trials and regulatory approvals, those costs are built into the price of the brand-name product.
Initially FDA approved in 2014, Jardiance continues to maintain patent protection and exclusivity in the U.S. This means no generic versions can compete with the brand medication and drive down costs. (The patent expired in India in March 2025, and manufacturers there have started producing dozens of generic Jardiance versions at much lower prices.)
And unlike many other countries, the U.S. does not regulate prescription drug prices.
Frequently asked questions
The cheapest place to buy Jardiance will depend on your insurance. Check with your health plan to confirm you are covered for Jardiance and to find out your expected copay. Then make sure to fill your prescription at a pharmacy that is in your insurance plan’s network to get the best pricing. If you qualify, using a Jardiance savings card to achieve a copay as low as $10 per fill is another great way to keep your costs low. If you don’t have insurance or are underinsured, use a GoodRx coupon or apply for the Jardiance patient assistance program.
Yes, it’s possible to get Jardiance for free if you qualify for the manufacturer’s patient assistance program.
The cheapest place to buy Jardiance will depend on your insurance. Check with your health plan to confirm you are covered for Jardiance and to find out your expected copay. Then make sure to fill your prescription at a pharmacy that is in your insurance plan’s network to get the best pricing. If you qualify, using a Jardiance savings card to achieve a copay as low as $10 per fill is another great way to keep your costs low. If you don’t have insurance or are underinsured, use a GoodRx coupon or apply for the Jardiance patient assistance program.
Yes, it’s possible to get Jardiance for free if you qualify for the manufacturer’s patient assistance program.
The bottom line
Jardiance (empagliflozin) is an effective medication to help people ages 10 and older manage Type 2 diabetes. These brand-name tablets can also lower the risk of cardiovascular death and complications for people with other conditions, including heart failure and chronic kidney disease.
You may be able to qualify for a manufacturer savings card to save on your prescription copay or other out-of-pocket costs. If you qualify for the manufacturer’s patient assistance program, you may be able to access Jardiance for free. As of June 2025, there’s no generic for Jardiance available in the U.S.
Why trust our experts?
Methodology
We obtained national prescription coverage data for each medication from Managed Markets Insight & Technology (MMIT). The data reflects health insurance coverage as of May 2025.
We calculated the percentage of enrollees in plans that cover each medication by dividing the number of enrollees covered for the medication within a specific insurance channel (e.g., ACA, Medicare, Medicaid) by the total number of enrollees in all plans within that channel.
We determined the percentage of enrollees in plans with a prior authorization requirement by calculating the proportion of enrollees in plans that required prior authorization for the medication within each channel.
Finally, we measured the percentage of enrollees in plans with a step therapy requirement by calculating the proportion of enrollees in plans that imposed step therapy requirements for the medication in each channel.
These estimates, derived from national MMIT coverage data, provide insight into health insurance coverage for each medication. They take into account restrictions such as prior authorization, step therapy, and quantity limits. The percentages are expressed relative to the total number of enrollees covered by various insurance channels, including the ACA, commercial (excluding ACA) plans, Medicare, and Medicaid (both state-run and managed care plans).
References
American Diabetes Association. (n.d.). Statistics about diabetes.
American Diabetes Association Professional Practice Committee. (2025). 9. pharmacologic approaches to glycemic treatment: Standards of care in diabetes—2025. Diabetes Care.
Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals. (2023). How much does Jardiance cost per month?
Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals. (2024). Savings card terms and conditions for Jardiance (empagliflozin) tablets.
Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals. (2025). Patient assistance program.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2024). National diabetes statistics report.
Drugs@FDA. (2014). Drug approval package, Jardiance (empagliflozin) tablets. U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Janssen Pharmaceuticals. (2020). Invokana- canagliflozin tablet, film coated [package insert].
Medicaid.gov. (n.d.). Managed care. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
Sizar, O., et al. (2023). Empagliflozin. StatPearls.
Thacker, T. (2025). As empagliflozin goes off patent, 71 copies of the key diabetes drug roll out in a month. Economic Times.
U.S. Food and Drug Administration. (2020). Frequently asked questions on patents and exclusivity.
