Sodium-glucose co-transporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitors are a class of drugs that originally gained approval for treating type 2 diabetes but, since their introduction, have shown good secondary benefits for both cardiac and renal (kidney) health. Research into SGLT2 inhibitors began with understanding the role of the SGLT2 protein in the kidneys in reabsorbing glucose back into the bloodstream. Farxiga (generic name: dapagliflozin) was the second SGLT2i drug approved for diabetes in the mid-2010s, based on trials that proved their effectiveness in lowering blood glucose levels in type 2 diabetes patients. Based on the results of the DAPA-HF trials conducted on the effectiveness of dapagliflozin in cardiovascular outcomes, the FDA approved Farxiga as a treatment to reduce the risk of cardiovascular death and hospitalization for heart failure in adults with the specific form of heart failure known as reduced ejection fraction. This approval is not as broad as the cardiovascular approval for Jardiance.
In April 2021, the FDA extended the approval of Farxiga as a drug that reduces the risk of kidney function decline and kidney failure, as well as cardiovascular death and hospitalization for heart failure in adults with chronic kidney disease who are at risk of disease progression regardless of diabetes status.