RIDGEFIELD, Conn., and INDIANAPOLIS — Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals Inc. and Eli Lilly and Co. have released Jardiance tablets (empagliflozin) to U.S. pharmacies.

The companies said Tuesday that the type 2 diabetes treatment is now available by prescription at Walgreens, Rite Aid and Kroger as well as many other leading chain and independent retailers.

A once-daily, 10-mg or 25-mg tablet, Jardiance was approved by the Food and Drug Administration on Aug. 1 as an adjunct to diet and exercise to lower blood glucose levels in adults with type 2 diabetes. The medication is not for people with type 1 diabetes or for people with diabetic ketoacidosis (increased ketones in the blood or urine).

"As a testament to the joint commitment by Boehringer Ingelheim and Lilly to improve care for people with diabetes, our alliance is proud to make Jardiance available so quickly following its approval by the FDA," stated Kathleen Dowd, senior vice president of marketing at Boehringer Ingelheim. "We believe Jardiance is an exciting new treatment option with the potential to help many of the millions of adults with type 2 diabetes who have difficulty controlling their blood sugar levels."

Type 2 is the most common type of diabetes, representing an estimated 85% to 95% of all diabetes cases. Approximately 29 million Americans and an estimated 382 million people worldwide have type 1 or type 2 diabetes.