METFORMIN HCL ER 500 MG TABLET

What it is

METFORMIN HCL ER 500 MG TABLET is how the CMS NADAC file names this product. The FDA NDC Directory lists it as “metformin hydrochloride” and “metformin er 500 mg”, as its NDCs’ listings variously write the nonproprietary name, under the trade names “METFORMIN HYDROCHLORIDE ER”, “METFORMIN HYDROCHLORIDE EXTENDED RELEASE” and “Metformin”.

FDA gives its dosage form as “tablet, extended release” and “tablet” and its route as oral.

FDA lists 11 labelers (the companies named on the label) for its NDCs, among them Unichem Pharmaceuticals (USA), Inc., Laurus Labs Limited and Epic Pharma, LLC.

FDA’s Established Pharmacologic Class for it is Biguanide.

The NADAC file of 2026-10-14 prices it under 31 NDCs (National Drug Codes); the FDA directory lists 30 of them.

NADAC classes it as a generic drug (rate-setting class G), and does not mark it as sold over the counter.

What pharmacies pay

Pharmacies pay $0.85 for 30 tablets (30 × $0.02838 per EA, rounded to the cent), by the CMS NADAC file of 2026-10-14; that price took effect on 2026-09-23. That is what pharmacies pay their suppliers, not what they charge you.

NADAC’s explanation code for it: 1, calculated from the most recently completed pharmacy survey.

What NADAC measures · Why 30 tablets · NADAC explanation codes

The 11 labelers

Other strengths, forms and brands

11 other products in the NADAC file share an FDA nonproprietary name with METFORMIN HCL ER 500 MG TABLET.

Part D is one average per brand and generic name, over every strength and form.

CMS NADAC · nadac-national-average-drug-acquisition-cost-20261014.csv · eff. between 2025-12-17 and 2026-09-23 (4 dates) · as of 2026-10-14 · retrieved 2026-10-17

Medicare Part D · DSD_PTD_RY26_P04_V10_DY24_BGM.csv · eff. 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31 · as of 2026-06-25 · retrieved 2026-10-18

Compared with its class

The middle of its 31 NDCs’ NADAC prices is $0.02838 per EA filed.

Of the 71 other products in FDA’s Biguanide class priced per EA, 68 have a higher middle NADAC price and 3 a lower one. The one in the middle is SYNJARDY XR 5-1,000 MG TABLET, at $5.61111 per EA filed (eff. 2026-09-23).

Prices are compared per unit, whatever the strength or dose, and a class is not a list of substitutes.

CMS NADAC · nadac-national-average-drug-acquisition-cost-20261014.csv · eff. 2026-09-23 · as of 2026-10-14 · retrieved 2026-10-17

How the class comparison works

What Medicare paid

Medicare Part D paid $1.80 for 30 tablets, at an average of $0.05999 per EA in 2024 (2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31) for “Metformin HCl ER” and “Metformin HCl”, every strength and form sold under that name together (Medicare Part D Spending by Drug, file of 2026-06-25).

That average covers 10,256,666 Part D claims (fills, including refills) for 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31, across every maker, strength and form under the name.

Medicare's price is not your price.

What Part D spending measures · Which Medicare figure OpenBill compares · How the spread is worked out

What to ask at the counter

None of these figures is your price: what you pay depends on your pharmacy, your insurance, coupons and discounts.

• What is your cash price for 30 tablets? Is it lower than what I would pay through my insurance?
• If you have Medicare Part D: what is my plan’s copay or coinsurance for it? The Part D average on this page is not what you pay.
• These are questions about price, not medical advice. Do not change or stop a medicine without talking to your prescriber or pharmacist.