Both are SGLT2 inhibitors. Here is how Farxiga and Invokana compare on class, mechanism, dosing, approval and supply.
FARXIGA (dapagliflozin) is indicated: • To reduce the risk of sustained eGFR decline, end-stage kidney disease, cardiovascular (CV) death, and hospitalization for heart failure in adults with chronic kidney disease at risk of progression. • To reduce the risk of CV death, hospitalization for heart failure, and urgent heart failure visit in adults with heart failure. • To reduce the risk of hospitalization for heart failure in adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus and either established CV disease or multiple CV risk factors. • As an adjunct to diet and exercise to improve glycemic control in adults and pediatric patients aged 10 years and older with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Limitations of Use • FARXIGA is not recommended for use to improve glycemic control in patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus [see Warnings and Precautions (5.1) ] . • FARXIGA is not recommended for use to improve gl…
INVOKANA (canagliflozin) is indicated: • as an adjunct to diet and exercise to improve glycemic control in adults and pediatric patients aged 10 years and older with type 2 diabetes mellitus. • to reduce the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events (cardiovascular death, nonfatal myocardial infarction and nonfatal stroke) in adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus and established cardiovascular disease (CVD). • to reduce the risk of end-stage kidney disease (ESKD), doubling of serum creatinine, cardiovascular (CV) death, and hospitalization for heart failure in adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus and diabetic nephropathy with albuminuria greater than 300 mg/day. INVOKANA is a sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitor indicated: • As an adjunct to diet and exercise to improve glycemic control in adults and pediatric patients aged 10 years and older with type 2 diabetes mellitus …
12.1 Mechanism of Action Sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2), expressed in the proximal renal tubules, is responsible for the majority of the reabsorption of filtered glucose from the tubular lumen. Dapagliflozin is an inhibitor of SGLT2. By inhibiting SGLT2, dapagliflozin reduces reabsorption of filtered glucose and thereby promotes urinary glucose excretion. Dapagliflozin also reduces sodium reabsorption and increases the delivery of sodium to the distal tubule. This may influence several physiological functions including, but not restricted to, lowering both pre- and afterload of the heart and downregulation of sympathetic activity, and decreased intraglomerular pressure which is beli…
12.1 Mechanism of Action SGLT2, expressed in the proximal renal tubules, is responsible for the majority of the reabsorption of filtered glucose from the tubular lumen. Canagliflozin is an inhibitor of SGLT2. By inhibiting SGLT2, canagliflozin reduces reabsorption of filtered glucose and lowers the renal threshold for glucose (RT G ), and thereby increases urinary glucose excretion (UGE). Canagliflozin increases the delivery of sodium to the distal tubule by blocking SGLT2-dependent glucose and sodium reabsorption. This is believed to increase tubuloglomerular feedback and reduce intraglomerular pressure.
Which medicine is right for a given person depends on their diagnosis, other conditions, other medicines, kidney and liver function, pregnancy, and cost or reimbursement — none of which this page knows. Two drugs in the same class are not automatically interchangeable. Never start, stop or switch a prescription medicine on the basis of a web page; that decision belongs to you and your clinician or pharmacist.
The facts on this page are pulled directly from official U.S. FDA datasets — they are not written from memory. Each field below names the dataset it came from, so you can check it yourself.
Plain-English summaries and drug-class explainers are written and reviewed by the Priya Life Science editorial team, led by Sreepriya Prasannan (MSc Digital Transformation of Life Sciences (Innopharma Education / Griffith College); MSc & BSc Botany). Data is retrieved automatically from the sources above and cross-checked with AI-assisted verification (Anthropic's Claude) — brand and generic names are matched against the exact FDA product record so that a combination product or a different formulation cannot be mistaken for the drug on this page. An editor reviews the result before publication. We describe this in full in our editorial standards and corrections policy. The FDA data on this page was last retrieved on 22 Aug 2026.