Generic drugs are common in drug stores as they are more affordable than the original versions yet they deliver good results. Generic Viagra will be available in American drugstores by the end of 2017 when the manufacturer, Teva Pharmaceuticals, will start selling the drugs.
Pfizer developed the original Viagra and introduced it in the US market in 1998. Although Pfizer’s patent on the pill remains valid until April 2020, it has allowed Teva to manufacture and sell generic Viagra starting December 2017. The agreement was reached in 2013, and Teva Pharmaceuticals will pay Pfizer royalties until its patent period expires.
Market for the generic drugs
The introduction of the generic variety of Viagra will have an impact on the prices of the drug. Teva Pharmaceuticals will have to price their products lower than the original Viagra to attract buyers though the price variations may not be huge at the beginning.
The introduction of generic Viagra may trigger similar initiatives from other manufacturers. However, as the first pharmaceutical firm to introduce generic Viagra in the US, it will enjoy 180 days free of competition from other generic versions of the drug. During that period, it will enjoy better prices because, at the end of it, other pharmaceutical manufacturers will be allowed to introduce their versions of generic Viagra.
The Introduction of generic Viagra has to be approved by the FDA. Some companies have presented their versions of generic Viagra before the FDA awaiting approval.
Although Teva Pharmaceuticals will be introducing the generic Viagra to the US market in December 2017, it has been selling the drug in the EU since 2013 when Pfizer’s patent on the drug in that region expired.
Effectiveness of the generic Viagra
It is worth noting that the FDA requires generic drugs to have the same active ingredients as the original. Thus, the generic Viagra should contain sildenafil citrate as the active ingredient in the same proportions as the original. The inactive ingredients do not have to be the same. Therefore, users of Viagra may be assured of the same potency from the generic version as they get from the original.
Higher competition in the market benefits users of the drug as they will get it at better prices. The price of the original Viagra may also reduce for it to remain relevant in the market.