Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jun 21, 2026

Linagliptin

Linagliptin, sold under the brand name Tradjenta among others, is a medication used to treat type 2 diabetes in conjunction with exercise and diet. Linagliptin is a dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitor that works by increasing the production of insulin and decreasing the production of glucagon by the pancreas. It is generally less preferred than metformin and sulfonylureas as an initial treatment. It is taken by mouth.

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Linagliptin
Clinical data
Pronunciation/ˌlɪnəˈɡlɪptɪn/ LIN-ə-GLIP-tin
Trade namesTradjenta, Trajenta, Trazenta
Other namesBI-1356
AHFS/Drugs.comMonograph
MedlinePlusa611036
License data
Routes of
administration		By mouth
ATC code
Legal status
Legal status
Pharmacokinetic data
Bioavailability~30% (Tmax = 1.5 hours)
Protein binding75–99% (concentration-dependent)
MetabolismMinimal (~10% metabolized)
MetabolitesPharmacologically inactive
Elimination half-life~24 hours
ExcretionFeces (80%), urine (5%)5
Identifiers
  • 8-[(3R)-3-Aminopiperidin-1-yl]-7-(but-2-yn-1-yl)-3-methyl-1-[(4-methylquinazolin-2-yl)methyl]-3,7-dihydro-1H-purine-2,6-dione
CAS Number
PubChem CID
IUPHAR/BPS
DrugBank
ChemSpider
UNII
KEGG
ChEBI
ChEMBL
CompTox Dashboard (EPA)
Chemical and physical data
FormulaC25H28N8O2
Molar mass472.553 g·mol−1
3D model (JSmol)
Melting point202 °C (396 °F)
  • CC#CCN1C2=C(N=C1N3CCC[C@H](C3)N)N(C(=O)N(C2=O)CC4=NC5=CC=CC=C5C(=N4)C)C
  • InChI=1S/C25H28N8O2/c1-4-5-13-32-21-22(29-24(32)31-12-8-9-17(26)14-31)30(3)25(35)33(23(21)34)15-20-27-16(2)18-10-6-7-11-19(18)28-20/h6-7,10-11,17H,8-9,12-15,26H2,1-3H3/t17-/m1/s1 ☒N
  • Key:LTXREWYXXSTFRX-QGZVFWFLSA-N ☒N
 ☒NcheckY (what is this?)  (verify)

Linagliptin, sold under the brand name Tradjenta among others, is a medication used to treat type 2 diabetes (but not type 1) in conjunction with exercise and diet.78 Linagliptin is a dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitor7 that works by increasing the production of insulin and decreasing the production of glucagon by the pancreas.7 It is generally less preferred than metformin and sulfonylureas as an initial treatment.79 It is taken by mouth.7

Common side effects include inflammation of the nose and throat.7 Serious side effects may include angioedema, pancreatitis, joint pain.97 Use in pregnancy and breastfeeding is not recommended.9

Linagliptin was approved for medical use in the United States,10 Japan, the European Union, Canada, and Australia in 2011.711 In 2023, it was the 254th most commonly prescribed medication in the United States, with more than 1 million prescriptions.1213 From August 2021, linagliptin became available as a generic medicine in the US.14

Medical uses

Linagliptin is indicated as an adjunct to diet and exercise to improve glycemic control in adults with type 2 diabetes.5

Side effects

Linagliptin may cause severe joint pain.515

Mechanism of action

Linagliptin belongs to a class of drugs called DPP-4 inhibitors.5

Names

Linagliptin is the international nonproprietary name (INN).16 Brand names: Trajenta,17 Tradjenta.

See also

See also

References

References

  1. "Linagliptin, tablet, 5 mg, Trajenta". Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS). July 2012. Archived from the original on 31 March 2015. Retrieved 26 September 2014.
  2. "AusPAR: Linagliptin". Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA). 21 June 2022. Retrieved 9 April 2023.
  3. "Trajenta Product information". Health Canada. 25 April 2012. Archived from the original on 27 September 2021. Retrieved 3 October 2022.
  4. "Trajenta 5 mg film-coated tablets - Summary of Product Characteristics (SmPC)". (emc). 27 September 2021. Archived from the original on 19 January 2022. Retrieved 3 October 2022.
  5. "Tradjenta- linagliptin tablet, film coated". DailyMed. 21 April 2022. Archived from the original on 15 August 2022. Retrieved 3 October 2022.
  6. "Trajenta EPAR". European Medicines Agency (EMA). 17 September 2018. Archived from the original on 29 December 2019. Retrieved 11 February 2020.
  7. "Linagliptin Monograph for Professionals". Drugs.com. American Society of Health-System Pharmacists. Archived from the original on 6 April 2019. Retrieved 6 April 2019.
  8. Neumiller JJ (March 2012). "Pharmacology, efficacy, and safety of linagliptin for the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus". The Annals of Pharmacotherapy. 46 (3): 358–67. doi:10.1345/aph.1Q522. PMID 22318932. S2CID 207264493.
  9. British national formulary : BNF 76 (76 ed.). Pharmaceutical Press. 2018. p. 680. ISBN 9780857113382.
  10. "Drug Approval Package: Tradjenta (linagliptin) Tablets NDA #201280". U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). 7 June 2011. Archived from the original on 3 April 2022. Retrieved 3 October 2022.
  11. "10 years". Boehringer Ingelheim Limited. Archived from the original on 3 October 2022. Retrieved 3 October 2022.
  12. "The Top 300 of 2023". ClinCalc. Archived from the original on 17 August 2025. Retrieved 17 August 2025.
  13. "Linagliptin Drug Usage Statistics, United States, 2014 - 2023". ClinCalc. Retrieved 17 August 2025.
  14. "Linagliptin: FDA-Approved Drugs". U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Archived from the original on 25 September 2021. Retrieved 24 September 2021.
  15. "DPP-4 Inhibitors for Type 2 Diabetes: Drug Safety Communication - May Cause Severe Joint Pain". U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). 28 August 2015. Archived from the original on 13 December 2019. Retrieved 1 September 2015.
  16. "International Nonproprietary Names for Pharmaceutical Substances (INN). Recommended International Nonproprietary names: List 61" (PDF). World Health Organization. p. 66. Archived (PDF) from the original on 3 October 2020. Retrieved 10 November 2016.
  17. "Linagliptin: medicine to treat type 2 diabetes". NHS UK. 25 March 2022. Retrieved 21 November 2022.
External links