The short answer
NADAC stands for National Average Drug Acquisition Cost. CMS publishes this pharmacy acquisition-cost benchmark. It is not a patient cash price, coupon, or guaranteed minimum retail price.
What the number describes
NADAC is based on pharmacy acquisition-cost survey data. It helps describe the cost of acquiring drugs; it does not tell you the amount a particular pharmacy will charge you. Retail prices can also reflect dispensing, overhead, agreements, and other factors.
Read the unit before the number
EA means each, ML means milliliter, and GM means gram. A value per milliliter should not be read as a value per bottle, pen, or package. Even “each” needs the product context. Ask a pharmacist to interpret packaging.
Why we show a reference instead of a predicted price
Multiplying NADAC by a pharmacy-specific markup would produce a model, not a verified quote. RxCompare shows the published value and its date separately from the calculator, which uses prices you supply. We do not declare a pharmacy cheapest based on acquisition data.
How to check the source
Open the CMS pharmacy-pricing page or the linked dataset. Match the description, National Drug Code, unit, and date. CMS updates NADAC weekly. Our pages use a downloaded snapshot and show its date; they are not a live feed.
Common questions
Is NADAC a price floor?
No. It is an acquisition-cost benchmark, not a guaranteed lower bound for retail prices.
Is this the entire NADAC dataset?
No. RxCompare publishes a selected subset, with one representative NDC per description. Other packages and manufacturers may have different records.
Sources & further reading
Source links checked 2026-09-22. Cost information only; this content has not been clinically reviewed.