Linagliptin (Tradjenta): Half-Life, Label, Tracking
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Linagliptin: half-life, strengths and approval status

Tablet strengths · Approval status · Half-life ~12 hours (effective, for build-up); over 100 hours terminal

Short answer: Linagliptin has a half-life of about 12 hours (effective, for build-up); over 100 hours terminal. Levels peak about 1.5 hours after a dose. People vary, so treat these as estimates.

What is linagliptin?

Linagliptin is a DPP-4 inhibitor, a tablet that helps lower blood sugar in type 2 diabetes by letting the body's own GLP-1 and GIP hormones act for longer. It is sold as Tradjenta, taken as one 5 mg tablet a day. Unlike sitagliptin, it is mostly cleared through the bile rather than the kidneys.

Also known as: Tradjenta.

Tablet strengths

Tradjenta comes as a single 5 mg tablet strength.

Approval status and how it is used

The FDA Tradjenta label approves it, with diet and exercise, to improve blood sugar control in adults with type 2 diabetes; it is not recommended in type 1 diabetes and has not been studied in people with a history of pancreatitis. The label dose is 5 mg once a day, with or without food, and the label recommends no dose change for kidney impairment. Strong drugs that speed up the CYP3A4 enzyme or P-gp, such as rifampin, can lower linagliptin to levels that likely do not work.

The label warns of pancreatitis, low blood sugar when combined with insulin or a sulfonylurea, serious allergic reactions, severe joint pain, bullous pemphigoid and heart failure seen with two other drugs in the class. In CARMELINA, a heart-safety trial in about 7,000 adults with type 2 diabetes and heart or kidney disease (median follow-up 2.2 years), the risk of heart attack, stroke or heart-related death was similar to placebo (hazard ratio 1.02). In that trial pancreatitis was reported in 0.3% on linagliptin versus 0.1% on placebo, and bullous pemphigoid in 0.2% versus none. The most common side effect in trials was nasopharyngitis.

Linagliptin half-life and time to peak

  • Half-lifeabout 12 hours (effective, for build-up); over 100 hours terminal
  • Time to peak (Tmax)about 1.5 hours

The FDA Tradjenta label gives peak levels about 1.5 hours after a 5 mg dose. Linagliptin binds tightly to the DPP-4 enzyme, so its blood levels fall in two phases: a long terminal half-life of over 100 hours (about 200 hours at steady state) that does not cause build-up, and an effective half-life for build-up of about 12 hours. Absolute bioavailability is about 30%, and about 80% of a dose leaves through the bile and gut, with about 5% in the urine.

Numbers shown are taken from the source above. Half-life varies from person to person.

How to track linagliptin in Dose Track

  1. Add linagliptin as a custom compound. Start typing its name and Dose Track fills in the details from its research library for you to check, and it sits next to everything else you take.
  2. Log each tablet when you take it, including split or fractional tablets, so your history shows exactly what you took and when.
  3. Set reminders on your own schedule, whether that is daily, weekly or every few days.
  4. Your log is stored on your phone and no account is needed. Data only leaves it for features you choose, like AI answers and lab reading.

How Dose Track handles peptides · Reconstitution calculator · Half-life calculator

SitagliptinJanuvia · half-life about 12.4 hours MetforminGlucophage · half-life about 6.2 hours EmpagliflozinJardiance · half-life about 12.4 hours SemaglutideOzempic, Wegovy · half-life about 7 days

Frequently asked questions

What is the half-life of linagliptin?+
The FDA Tradjenta label gives peak levels about 1.5 hours after a 5 mg dose. Linagliptin binds tightly to the DPP-4 enzyme, so its blood levels fall in two phases: a long terminal half-life of over 100 hours (about 200 hours at steady state) that does not cause build-up, and an effective half-life for build-up of about 12 hours. Absolute bioavailability is about 30%, and about 80% of a dose leaves through the bile and gut, with about 5% in the urine.
Does linagliptin need a lower dose with kidney disease?+
No. The FDA Tradjenta label recommends no dose change for kidney impairment, because most of the drug leaves through the bile and gut rather than the urine.
What is the difference between linagliptin and sitagliptin?+
Both are once-daily DPP-4 inhibitors for type 2 diabetes. Linagliptin (Tradjenta) comes only as 5 mg and needs no kidney dose change; sitagliptin (Januvia) is mostly cleared by the kidneys, so its 100 mg dose is lowered to 50 or 25 mg with reduced kidney function.
Can I track linagliptin in Dose Track?+
Yes. Linagliptin is in Dose Track's research library, so when you add it as a custom compound its details are filled in for you to check. You can then log each tablet next to your other compounds, set reminders on your own schedule, and see your history next to your lab results. Your log is stored on your phone and no account is needed. Data only leaves it for features you choose, like AI answers and lab reading.

Sources

  1. Tradjenta (linagliptin) tablets prescribing information (Boehringer Ingelheim), sections 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 12 and 14. DailyMed, March 2025.

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