Dose & Administration

The simplicity of one dose, once daily to help lower HbA1c in your adult T2D patients¹

Linagliptin can be used in a broad range of adult patients with a single recommended dose of 5mg, once daily, independent of:

Linagliptin can be taken with or without a meal at any time of the day

If a dose is missed, it should be taken as soon as the patient remembers. A double dose should not be taken on the same day.¹

*Dosing with hepatic impairment: Pharmacokinetic studies suggest that no dose adjustment is required for patients with hepatic impairment but clinical experience in such patients is lacking.¹

^†Dosing with metformin: When Linagliptin is added to metformin, the dose of metformin should be maintained, and linagliptin administered concomitantly.¹

^†Dosing with a sulphonylurea or with insulin: Sulphonylureas and insulin are known to cause hypoglycaemia. When Linagliptin is used in combination with a sulphonylurea or with insulin, a lower dose of sulphonylurea or insulin may be considered to reduce the risk of hypoglycaemia.¹

Dosing adjustment based on renal function as defined by SmPC
	Normal function	Mild impairment	Moderate impairment		Severe impairment/ ESRD
Linagliptin¹	5 mg OD
sitagliptin³	100 mg OD	100 mg OD GFR ≥60 to <90 ml/min	100 mg OD GFR ≥45 to <60 ml/min	50 mg OD GFR ≥30 to <45 ml/min	25 mg OD GFR ≥15 to <30 ml/min and ESRD (GFR <15 ml/ min) including on haemodialysis or peritoneal dialysis
vildagliptin⁴	50 mg BD^‡‡ 50 mg OD with an SU	50 mg BD^‡‡ 50 mg OD with an SU CrCl 50 to <80 ml/min	50 mg OD CrCl 30 to <50 ml/min		50 mg OD CrCl <30 ml/min; ESRD on haemodialysis: use with caution*
saxagliptin⁵	5 mg OD	5 mg OD	5 mg OD GFR ≥45 ml/min	2.5 mg OD** GFR <45 ml/min	2.5 mg OD** in severe renal impairment; ESRD on haemodialysis: not recommended
alogliptin^6**††	25 mg OD	25 mg OD CrCl >50 to ≤80 ml/min	12.5 mg OD CrCl ≥30 to ≤50 ml/min		6.25 mg OD in severe renal impairment (CrCl <30ml/min) and ESRD. Limited experience in renal dialysis. Not studied in peritoneal dialysis

Dosing with renal impairment: It is important to ensure that patients are treated according to the licensed indications of a drug, including dose recommendations and monitored in line with clinical guidance including the NICE guidelines on the management of type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease (NG28 and NG203).^7,8

For individual guidance on DPP-4 inhibitor dosing in renal impairment please refer to the individual product SmPC.

Adapted from: 1. Linagliptin SmPC 3. Sitagliptin SmPC 4. Vildagliptin SmPC 5. Saxagliptin SmPC 6. Alogliptin SmPC. Summary of Product Characteristics available at EMC.

GFR: Glomerular filtration rate CrCl: Creatinine Clearance (based on Cockcroft-Gault formula) OD: Once daily BD: Twice daily SU: Sulphonylurea ESRD: End-stage renal disease.

Abbreviations:

BMI: body mass index; DPP-4: dipeptidyl peptidase-4; SmPC: Summary of Product Characteristics; T2D: type 2 diabetes.

Footnotes

*
50mg in the morning and 50mg in the evening.⁴
* *
Limited experience in this cohort.⁴
††
Assessment of renal function is recommended prior to initiation and periodically thereafter.^5,6
‡‡
Not indicated as monotherapy.⁶

References

Linagliptin Summary of Product Characteristics. SmPC available at EMC.
Lajara R, et al. Clin Ther. 2014;36(11):1595-605.
Sitagliptin Summary of Product Characteristics. SmPCs available at EMC.
Vildagliptin Summary of Product Characteristics. SmPC available at EMC.
Saxagliptin Summary of Product Characteristics. SmPCs available at EMC.
Alogliptin Summary of Product Characteristics. SmPCs available at EMC.
NICE guidance NG203 November 2021. Available at: https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/NG203 (last accessed May 2026).
NICE guidance NG28 February 2026. Available at: https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng28 (last accessed May 2026).

Linagliptin is indicated in adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus as an adjunct to diet and exercise to improve glycaemic control as:

monotherapy when metformin is inappropriate due to intolerance, or contraindicated due to renal impairment
in combination with other medicinal products for the treatment of diabetes, including insulin, when these do not provide adequate glycaemic control

PC-GB-112455 | May 2026

Reporting adverse events

Adverse events should be reported. Reporting forms and information can be found at www.mhra.gov.uk/yellowcard. Adverse events should also be reported to Boehringer Ingelheim Drug Safety on 0800 328 1627 (freephone).

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