The first generic formulations of Viagra are scheduled to hit the U.S. market beginning in December 2017. All will be marketed under the name of Viagra’s active ingredient — sildenafil citrate.
Teva Pharmaceuticals USA, the American subsidiary of an Israeli-based drugmaker that specializes in generic drugs, is expected to bring out the first generic version, which could be followed closely by another from Mylan.
Both of these generics have been tentatively approved by the FDA. Such tentative approvals usually don’t become final until the brand-name drug’s patent has expired. In these cases, Pfizer’s patent on Viagra is good until April 2020, but the company has negotiated special licensing deals with both Teva and Mylan that will allow them to introduce generic formulations of the little blue pill early.
In return for early generic rights, Teva and Mylan will have to pay licensing fees to Pfizer until the latter’s patent finally expires in 2020.