Generic for Avandia: An Overview
In September 2010, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that it would be severely restricting the use of Avandia, due to the risk of "cardiovascular events" such as heart attacks and strokes. Only individuals who cannot control their diabetes on other medications (or those who are already taking the medication and doing well) will be able to take Avandia.
Avandia is manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline. It is currently under the protection of a patent that prevents any generic Avandia from being manufactured in the United States. Yet, if you search the Internet for "generic Avandia," you may find a number of companies selling it. The fact is that these medicines are fake, substandard, and potentially dangerous. There may be generic Avandia available from another country, but there is really no way of knowing if you are getting genuine Avandia or not. You should not buy any generic Avandia until there is an approved generic available.
When Will Generic Avandia Be Available?
The first patent for Avandia expired in March 2012.
However, no generic versions are available yet. This suggests that at least one later-expiring patent is still protecting the drug from generic competition. The next patent for Avandia is set to expire in October 2015. This is the earliest possible date that a generic version of Avandia could become available.
However, there are other circumstances that could come up to extend the exclusivity period of Avandia beyond 2015. This could include such things as lawsuits or other patents for specific
Avandia uses. Once Avandia goes off patent, there may be several companies that manufacture a generic Avandia drug.
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