cymbalta generic eta?

[Tenebrae]

so i pick up my first rx of the new year on the new insurance that has a high deductible and a maximum yearly benefit, and i am like holy shit i cant take these meds anymore. $200+ for a month supply????

and then i go back and re-read how nuts i was before i started taking this cocktail and think, ok, so i do need to take them, scratch that idea, besides, i dont wanna deal with cymbalta w/d hell.

so, my light at the end of the tunnel here is going to be knowing when the patent/license whatever runs out on cymbalta and generics will be available ... anyone know how to check this kinda thing?

[AirMarshall]

Generic Availability:

Go here:

http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cder...atfda/index.cfm

type in the drug name (or generic name) or search alphabically,

This will give you a list of all the approvals by that drug name. Click on one of them, and it will show in the center yellow box any "Theropeutic equivalents" (generic), which should also be shown in the listing below without a brand name, normally.

Patent & Exclusivity information:

Patents and exclusivity are not the same. Patents are for 20 years issued by patent office, the FDA grant exclusive manufacturing rights for either 5 or 7 years to the patent holder. Generics don't appear on the shelf the next month after expirations, unfortunately.

Go to the FDA Orange Book: http://www.fda.gov/cder/ob/default.htm

Enter the name of the drug. Click on the drug number at left. Then click on "View" at the bottom of each listing.

This will give you both the patent expiration and the exclusivity expiration date. Note that there may be multiple listings for the same drug for different formulations, delivery methods, and different approved uses (conditions being treated).

After that, any company wanting to manufacture a generic drug must go through the full approval of its manufacturing and quality control processes and show that the tab the produce works the same as the original +/- 20%.

good luck. a.m.

[Tenebrae]

AM! You Rock!! Fabulous resources! Thank you so very much. I never could have found that on my own given my limited attention span these days.

Exclusivity expirations in 07 and 09. Let's hope someone else is ready willing and able to put a generic out.

Hope is a good thing.

[AirMarshall]

don't hold your breath.

I listened to an FDA official last summer saying that they have a backlog of 600 applications for generic drug approvals. They have no plans to put more people on the job, haven't requested funding from congress, and do not intend to change the process to speed things up. They were *considering* choosing one or two manufacturers for each drug and approving them first, but didn't know how they would choose them [or deal with the lawsuits when they showed favoritism].

Oh, BTW, the FDA doesn't even begin processing generic requests, till the day after the exclusivity/patent expires! So this effectively gives the patent holder many months if not years of virtual monopoly.