Generic Epivir: An Overview
Epivir® (
lamivudine) is a prescription antiviral medication. It is part of a group of medications known as nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (also known as NRTIs). Epivir is approved to treat the following viral infections:
Epivir comes in two forms, regular Epivir (approved to treat HIV and AIDS) and Epivir-HBV (approved to treat hepatitis B). There is no real difference between Epivir and Epivir-HBV products, except that they come in different strengths.
Epivir is made by GlaxoSmithKline. It is currently under the protection of a patent that prevents any generic Epivir from being manufactured in the United States.
When Will Generic Epivir Be Available?
The first patent for Epivir currently expires in August 2009. This is the earliest possible date that a generic version of Epivir could become available. However, there are other circumstances that could come up to extend the exclusivity period of Epivir beyond 2009. This could include such things as other patents for specific
Epivir uses or lawsuits. Once Epivir goes off patent, there may be several companies that will begin manufacturing a generic Epivir drug.
Is Lamivudine Generic Epivir?
The answer is no.
Lamivudine is the active ingredient in Epivir but is not a generic version of the medication. What can be confusing is that, oftentimes, the active ingredient of any drug is referred to as the "generic name." The generic name is different from a generic version of a medicine. In order for there to be a generic version of a medicine, the original medicine must have gone off patent and another company besides the original manufacturer would make the product.
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