Duetact vs. its authorized generic and generics

How to pay the least

Ask for the cash price

Authorized generic

Duetact itself, without the brand name. It usually costs less than Duetact.

Ask your pharmacy for the cash price of Duetact’s authorized generic. Its NDC is on this page; the pharmacy may need to order it.See its NDC
Ask for Duetact’s cash price too, and pick the lower one.

None is sold. The authorized generic is the only generic.

Compare every option

Brand nameDuetact

Authorized genericpioglitazone and glimepiride

Regular genericpioglitazone and glimepiride

What you’d pay

Cash priceAsk the pharmacyUsually the highest price

Cash priceAsk the pharmacyOften less than Duetact

Not soldNone sold

Same as Duetact?

The original

Same medicine

–

Brand nameNo maker’s card

We didn’t find a savings card or cash price from Duetact’s maker. Ask the pharmacy for Duetact’s cash price. With insurance, ask what your plan charges.

Authorized genericThe NDC to ask for

The same medicine as Duetact, without the brand name. Give the pharmacy its NDC to get it.

pioglitazone and glimepiride

Sold by

Prasco Laboratories

Your strength

NDC to ask for

30 mg / 2 mgtablet
- 66993-821-3011-digit: 66993-0821-3030 tablets per bottle
30 mg / 4 mgtablet
- 66993-822-3011-digit: 66993-0822-3030 tablets per bottle

Source: FDA, updated October 30, 2026

What to say at the pharmacy

“Before you fill my Duetact, can you tell me what I’d pay for the brand, for the authorized generic from Prasco Laboratories?”

Paying cash? Ask for each one’s cash price. With insurance, ask what your plan charges for each.

Brand and authorized generic labels

Official labels and ingredient lists from DailyMed (U.S. National Library of Medicine).

30 mg / 2 mg tablet

Same active and inactive ingredients as Duetact.

Authorized generic package label from Prasco Laboratories — Authorized genericPrasco Laboratories

See the ingredients

Active: pioglitazone hydrochloride 30 mg · glimepiride 2 mg

Inactive, on both labels:

Croscarmellose sodium
Hydroxypropyl cellulose
Lactose monohydrate
Magnesium stearate
Microcrystalline cellulose
Polysorbate 80

30 mg / 4 mg tablet

Same active and inactive ingredients as Duetact.

See the ingredients

Active: pioglitazone hydrochloride 30 mg · glimepiride 4 mg

Inactive, on both labels:

Croscarmellose sodium
Hydroxypropyl cellulose
Lactose monohydrate
Magnesium stearate
Microcrystalline cellulose
Polysorbate 80

Regular genericNot sold

None is sold. The authorized generic is the only generic. Generics usually come once the brand’s patents and exclusivity end. Until then, the authorized generic is the lower-cost way to get Duetact.

See the authorized generic →

What it’s used for

Type 2 diabetes

What the FDA label says

DUETACT is a thiazolidinedione and a sulfonylurea combination product indicated as an adjunct to diet and exercise to improve glycemic control in adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus when treatment with both pioglitazone and glimepiride is appropriate.

Important Limitations of Use:

Not for treatment of type 1 diabetes or diabetic ketoacidosis.

Source: the FDA label for Duetact (Takeda Pharmaceuticals America, Inc.), March 27, 2025. Full label on DailyMed

Good to know

It may look different from Duetact (color, shape, or markings). That’s normal for an authorized generic.
If your prescription says “dispense as written,” the pharmacy needs your prescriber’s OK to give you the authorized generic.
Cash prices can differ a lot from one pharmacy to the next, so it can pay to ask two. With insurance, what you pay depends on your plan.
If your pharmacy doesn’t stock it, they can often order it within a day or two.
Don’t stop or change a medicine without talking to your pharmacist or prescriber.

Prices change: confirm with the pharmacy before you fill. drugalt.com/drug/duetact/