Generic entry timeline

METFORMIN HYDROCHLORIDE generics — when can they launch?

METFORMIN HYDROCHLORIDE (METFORMIN HYDROCHLORIDE) · · 23 active US patents · 0 expired

Earliest patent expiry
2026-07-31
expired
Full patent estate to
2035-05-01
complete protection through 2035
FDA approval
1995

Where METFORMIN HYDROCHLORIDE sits in the generic timeline

All listed Orange Book patents for METFORMIN HYDROCHLORIDE have expired. Generic entry is permitted, and ANDA filers can launch without patent infringement risk. Hatch-Waxman exclusivity (NCE/ODE/PED) may still apply if recently approved.

Under US Hatch-Waxman, a generic enters via an ANDA (Abbreviated New Drug Application) and may file with one of four Paragraph IV certifications attacking the brand's listed patents. If the brand sues within 45 days, a 30-month FDA approval stay is triggered. First Para IV filer typically gets 180-day market exclusivity.

Patent estate by type — active patents

Method-of-use patents only carve out specific indications; generics can launch with a "skinny label" omitting those uses. Composition-of-matter patents block the molecule itself.

  • Formulation — 9 patents
  • Method of Use — 7 patents
  • Other — 7 patents

FDA U-codes carved out by METFORMIN HYDROCHLORIDE patents

Method-of-use patents are listed against specific FDA Patent Use Codes ("U-codes") representing carved-out indications. Generics can launch with a label that omits these uses.

U-codeDescription
U-802(no description)
U-1227(no description)
U-1036(no description)

Sample patent estate

Showing 6 of 23 active US patents. View full estate on the METFORMIN HYDROCHLORIDE drug page →

  • US7785627 Formulation · expires 2026-07-31
    This patent protects a pharmaceutical formulation containing a controlled release component with an antihyperglycemic drug and a thiazolidinedione derivative.
    USPTO title: Pharmaceutical formulation containing a biguanide and a thiazolidinedione derivative
  • US7959946 Formulation · expires 2026-07-31
    This patent protects a pharmaceutical formulation containing a controlled release component with an antihyperglycemic drug and a thiazolidinedione derivative.
    USPTO title: Pharmaceutical formulation containing a biguanide and a thiazolidinedione derivative
  • US7785627 Formulation · expires 2026-07-31
    This patent protects a pharmaceutical formulation containing a controlled release component with an antihyperglycemic drug and a thiazolidinedione derivative.
    USPTO title: Pharmaceutical formulation containing a biguanide and a thiazolidinedione derivative
  • US7959946 Formulation · expires 2026-07-31
    This patent protects a pharmaceutical formulation containing a controlled release component with an antihyperglycemic drug and a thiazolidinedione derivative.
    USPTO title: Pharmaceutical formulation containing a biguanide and a thiazolidinedione derivative
  • US7326708 Method of Use · expires 2026-11-24
    This patent protects a crystalline monohydrate of the dihydrogenphosphate salt of a dipeptidyl peptidase-IV inhibitor.
    USPTO title: Phosphoric acid salt of a dipeptidyl peptidase-IV inhibitor
  • US7326708 Method of Use · expires 2026-11-24
    This patent protects a crystalline monohydrate of the dihydrogenphosphate salt of a dipeptidyl peptidase-IV inhibitor.
    USPTO title: Phosphoric acid salt of a dipeptidyl peptidase-IV inhibitor

Sources

Patent term extensions (PTR, pediatric exclusivity), Hatch-Waxman 30-month stays, and FDA regulatory exclusivity (NCE/ODE/PED) may shift the effective generic entry date. Not legal advice.

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